4 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, June 20, 2005 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 STEPHANIE WRIGHT tothedaily@michigandaily.com Editor in Chief 4 DONN M. FRESARD Editorial Page Editor ~ EDI1~TED AND MANAGED BY E U DENT DAT THE Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other pieces do not SINCE 1890 necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. Joining the clause Regents have no excuse for omitting gender identity and expression in bylaws Parking goes private City may sneak parking restrictions by students At the University Board of Regents meeting last Thurs- day, members of the Wol- verine Coalition for Human Rights turned out to demand that the phrase "gender identity and expression" be added to the nondiscrimination clause in the University's bylaws. Supporters of transgender rights have appealed to the regents for this change since February, but their requests have so far been ignored. Adding this lan- guage to the bylaws would be pri- marily a symbolic action, but one that is nevertheless important to show the University's respect for and solidar- ity with the transgender community. Whether the regents' reluctance is due to individual political concerns or the belief that transgender individuals are already protected under the Universi- ty's bylaws, continued inaction could tarnish the University's reputation as a leading proponent of civil rights and delay progress toward improving the climate on campus for transgender students, faculty and staff. Since the bylaw change has strong support and would come at no con- ceivable cost to the University, the regents' silence on the issue is puz- zling - unless their concern is for the potential cost to their political careers. Should individual regents later pursue higher public office in Michigan, they may not want their names tied to an issue that could make some churchgoing vot- ers squeamish. Needless to say, the security of the University's transgen- der community must take precedent over personal aims and political ambitions. The regents should vote on the bylaw change; those who oppose it should say so rather than hiding behind the anonymity of their silence. The University has insisted that it already protects transgender indi- viduals under its nondiscrimina- tion clause, citing the Smith v. City of Salem decision made by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court last year that said gender identity was included under protection against gender discrimina- tion. Regardless of whether it would affect the University's actual poli- cies, however, the symbolic impor- tance of adding the "gender identity and expression" phrase is not dimin- ished. Without specifically including gender identity and expression - a change that has wide support within the LGBT community and was rec- ommended by the University's own taskforce on transgender issues - the University fails to show its support of transgender individuals. Because the state of Michigan does not include specific protection for the transgendered in its civil rights act and is only now in the process of passing legislation to include LGBT individuals under its hate crime laws, it is up to individual business- es and institutions to guarantee pro- tection against discrimination. The city of Ann Arbor passed a nondis- crimination ordinance in 1999 that includes gender identity, and many universities like Ohio State Univer- sity and the University of Iowa spe- cifically include gender identity and expression in their bylaws. Even if the University's current bylaws are technically sufficient, it is perfectly reasonable that the transgender com- munity wants to be assured that its rights are explicitly protected. An LGBT taskforce, commissioned by outgoing University provost Paul Courant, released a report last year that described the general lack of awareness about transgender issues, calling for campus-wide education efforts and a change in the Univer- sity's bylaws. This change may do little to directly improve the cam- pus climate for transgender students, but it would be an important step toward promoting a close relation- ship between the University and the transgender community. Although transgender issues are becoming increasingly visible and the number of people identifying as transgender is growing, discrimina- tion and stigmas still persist. During their time at college, many students may face a number of obstacles and misconceptions should they come to question or reject their previous gender identity. Given the risk of mistreatment, harassment and even violence toward transgender indi- viduals, it is increasingly important that the University show its solidar- ity with the transgender community. Despite the University's promise to prevent transgender discrimination regardless of a change to its bylaws, administrators and regents should rec- ognize the symbolic value of adding the language - and the message they send by failing to do so. Abstaining from this small step to ensure protec- tion of their rights and to recognize their unique place in the University community is a slap in the face to transgender students, faculty and staff. Students must encourage the administration and the regents to set aside their hesitations and change the bylaws to include protection against discrimination based on gender iden- tity and expression. Tuesday marks the official start of sum- mer: a season characterized in Ann Arbor by hordes of orientation stu- dents, the Art Fair and - with many students out of town - anti-student legislation before Ann Arbor City Council. While the ban on outdoor couches proposed last summer has yet to reappear on the agenda, City Council has received petitions from the Oxbridge and North Burns Park residential associations to limit street parking in their neighborhoods to those with residential permits. Though cre- ating more residential parking districts may appeal to homeowners seeking more spaces on Ann Arbor's crowded streets, it will do little to address the parking issues facing all who live and work in Ann Arbor, and it could benefit homeowners only by inconve- niencing students, renters and commuters. City Council should not create these park- ing districts; at a minimum, it should delay any action until the fall, when students' voices may be fairly heard. The petitions request the city to issue residential permits for street parking in the Oxbridge and North Burns Park neighbor- hoods. Those without permits would be restricted to two hours of parking during daytime hours. While homeowners in these neighborhoods may encounter difficulty finding street park- ing, their troubles are not unusual. Simply put, too many people - homeowners, stu- dents and commuters alike - are bringing too many cars into Ann Arbor. Restricting parking on public streets to a particular seg- ment of the public will do nothing to remedy this situation. Rather, expanding parking districts will only shift parking to other neighborhoods, creating an incentive for those neighborhoods to push for their own parking restrictions. Indeed, the previous creation of a similar parking district in the Old Fourth Ward like- ly exacerbated the parking problems in the neighborhoods currently seeking restrictions. Students and commuters who use street parking will certainly not enjoy deal- ing with new residential parking districts. Furthermore, both neighborhoods contain significant numbers of renters, with rent- ers representing a majority on some blocks, according to census data. Even though these renters - primarily students - are bona fide residents of the neighborhoods, they will likely encounter difficulty securing residential parking permits: the city will only accept permit applications from their landlords, who are not exactly known for their eagerness to aid students. Students still in Ann Arbor should voice their opposition to this plan. In particular, Greek organizations with houses on Cam- bridge Avenue, which runs through both neighborhoods, should step up to stop a plan that will be detrimental to their members. And all University students, regardless of where they reside, should note that the ger- rymandering of wards for Ann Arbor city elections divides the student vote and makes it tough to elect a student voice to City Coun- cil to oppose plans that harm students. City Council should recognize this fact and have the democratic decency to put off debate on the proposed parking districts until the fall. Regardless of whether the council eventu- ally passes the parking restrictions, parking in Ann Arbor will remain high in demand and difficult to find. Ultimately, only increased reliance on walking, biking and public trans- portation can cut down on the onslaught of vehicles clogging Ann Arbor's streets and competing for parking spaces each workday. By fostering policies that enable people to live and work in Ann Arbor without needing cars, City Council can perhaps spare itself the need to determine exactly who deserves to park on public streets. 4 I 4 The thumbs have it The Detroit Zoo k Sharon McPhail After weeks of furious debate and ill-willed name-call- ing, zookeepers renamed the zoo's new wolverine cubs. The young cubs, Tamarack and Tilia, are sure to be made fun of in elementary school, but at least they will be spared the wrath of rabid Michigan fans. The Detroit mayoral candidate proposed appointing a population czar to work with deputy mayor candidate Benny Napoleon to prevent future population de- cline. The last time Napoleon and a czar got together, more than half a million people died in what histori- ans consider to be a disaster worse than the Kilpatrick administration. 4