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Thursday, November 20, 2014
michigandaily.com
GOVERNMENT
State gender
identity
protections
uncertain
ALLISUN FARAND/Daily
LSA senior Andrea Gillespie discusses sexual assault policy and campus climate at a roundtable discussion as part of the "It's On Us" week of action at the
Ford School of Public Policy Wednesday evening
Campaign toed sexual
assault promotes diaogue
Amendments to civil
rights legislation
face challenges on
both sides of the aisle
By SHOHAM GEVA
Daily StaffReporter
Among the many points of con-
tention between the two amend-
ments to the state's Elliott-Larsen
Civil Rights Act currently before
the Michigan legislature, a pri-
mary one is the inclusion of gender
identity and expression.
Gender identity is defined as an
individual's psychological sense
of their gender, according to the
Human Rights Campaign. For
transgender people, their gender
identity is different than their bio-
logical sex assigned at birth. Gen-
der expression refers to the way
individuals display their gender
identity.
The first bill, introduced in Sep-
tember by Rep. Sam Singh (D-East
Lansing) and Sen. Rebekah War-
ren (D-Ann Arbor), proposes pro-
tections forsexual orientation, and
gender identity and expression.
Both are not explicitly included
in the current act, which shields
Michigan residents from discrimi-
nation on the basis of religion,
race, color, national origin, age,
sex, height, weight, familial status
and marital status. The bill that
Rep. Frank Foster (R-Petoskey)
introduced last week, on the other
hand, only calls for the inclusion of
sexual orientation.
The Democrat-introduced
amendment would protect, for
example, an employee whose gen-
der identity does not match their
biological sex from getting fired
for identifying as transgender.
State Republicans, most promi-
nently Speaker of the House Jase
Bolger (R-Marshall), have said
the inclusion of gender identity
and expression is unnecessary
because transgender individuals
are already offered protections
under the mandate against sex
discrimination in state and federal
civil rights laws.
Democrats, on the other hand,
have said the amendment is neces-
See IDENTITY, Page 2A
'It'S On Us' about 70 University students
joined the conversation held
roundtable talks on campuses nationwide. The
sessions corresponded with the
garner ideas White House's National Week
of Action to promote the "It's
By EMILIE PLESSET On Us" campaign - a recently
DailyStaffReporter established federal initiative to
raise awareness and end sexual
In a three-night roundtable assault on college campuses.
policy discussion examining Spread over three nights,
and critiquing the University's each discussion engaged dif-
approach to sexual assault, ferent age demographics, tar-
geting underclassmen and
upperclassmen for the first and
second night, respectively. The
third night provided an open
forum.
"Students can discuss their
individual role as students to
help prevent sexual assault on
campus," said LSA senior Jacob
Abudaram, an event co-orga-
nizer. "But also address some
of the places where University
policy is in position to address
the issue and where the Univer-
sity can be doing better."
The "It's On Us" campaign,
launched by President Barack
Obama in September, reached
out to colleges across the coun-
try to host events that promote
the campaign and conversa-
tions about sexual assault pre-
vention and awareness. About
200 campuses across the coun-
try are holding eventsthis week
See CAMPAIGN, Page 3A
CAMPUS LIFE
What the F mag.
hosts TEDx on
gender norms
MOCHAS & MUGS
- fy
Women explore
complexity of topic
via interdisciplinary
approaches
By EMMA KINERY
Daily StaffReporter
In an effort to examine gen-
der from a different perspective,
about 50 students attended a
TEDx event on Wednesday titled
"Deconstructing Gender Assump-
tions," organized by What the F, a
feminist magazine on campus.
To gauge varying views of gen-
der, the event took a sweeping
view of sex and gender from a bio-
logical, literary, social and person-
al light. It began with a screening
of Northwestern University Pro-
fessor Alice Dreger's TED talk "Is
Anatomy Destiny?" which intro-
duced the idea that on a biologi-
cal level, males and females are
not very different; instead, gender
is a societal idea. However, this
viewpoint then becomes muddled
when considering intersex indi-
viduals.
TheTED talk was followed by
a reading of Jamaica Kincaid's
short story on gender roles in the
1970stitled "Girl."Itlisted norma-
tive statements that her mother
told her while growing up like
"Always eat your food in such a
way that it won't turn someone
else's stomach" and "This is how
to hem a dress when you see the .
hem coming down and so to pre-
vent yourself from looking like
the slut I know you are so bent on
becoming."
Following the presentations,
audience members talked about
their experiences with gender
acquisition, with the discussion
facilitated by What the F staff.
Gender acquisition is the process
through which children learn
gender.
At one table, LSA senior Bella
Gaeta said when she got a black
belt in martial arts as a girl, her
aunt encouraged her to practice
more feminine activities. LSA
freshman Iris Partlan's response
addressed the contradictions in
that statement.
See TEDX, Page 3A
RITA MORRiS/Daily
LSA junior Christine Yu paints her own mug at "Mochas and Masterpieces" at the Ann Arbor Arts Center Wednesday.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Student prepares for legal
action against University
ANN ARBOR
Council
discusses
Rossercase
responses
AAPD shooting
of citizen to be
reviewed by Mich.
State Police
By JACK TURMAN
Daily StaffReporter
Following the fatal shooting
of 40-year-old Aura Rosser of
Ann Arbor by police Nov.9, the
investigation is now being con-
ducted by the Michigan State
Police.
Rosser was killed at a home
on the 2000 block of Wine-
wood Ave. in Ann Arbor.
According to Ann Arbor police,
officers were dispatched to the
home after areported domestic
disturbance. Rosser reportedly
confronted the responding
officers with a knife and was
shot once after an officer dis-
charged a firearm.
Ann Arbor Police Chief
John Seto provided informa-
tion about the shooting during
the public commentary por-
See COUNCIL, Page 3A
Student questions
procedures that led
to suspension
By MICHAEL SUGERMAN
Daily StaffReporter
After being suspended from
completing an internship in
July, Social Work student Ta-
Kara Roquemore and those
representing her say she is now
prepared to take legal action
against the University unless
she is allowed to continue the
job.
Roquemore said she was
dismissed from her field work
- the final required step in
attaining her degree - last
semester, after police charged
her with resisting arrest and
obstructing justice in May for
an incident that took place Nov.
27, 2013.
After being charged, Roque-
more said she notified the
School of Social Work and the
field liaison in charge of her
internship.
"When I ended up telling U
of M and.my field liaison about
it, they ended up saying, 'OK,
See BAMN, Page 3A
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