this
argument,
studies
suggest
transgender individuals are more
likely to be at risk while using public
restrooms than those around them.
Despite the anti transgender-
rights rhetoric employed by some
Republican legislators in Lansing,
the University of Michigan provides
a variety of accommodations for
transgender
students,
including
gender-inclusive housing and gender-
inclusive bathroom facilities. Gender-
inclusive housing involves either
a room with a private bathroom
or a room in proximity to gender-
inclusive bathroom facilities. Nearly
all residence halls offer some sort
of gender-inclusive facility. Gender
inclusive facilities are open to all
students who wish to use a private
bathroom.
Kaufman said she was previously
not permitted to use the women’s
restroom facilities at the University,
and often had to travel inconvenient
distances to find gender-neutral
facilities. However, the University
has since changed that policy,
and Kaufman said she no longer
encounters the same restrictions.
Kaufman added that she has not
had issues with the University’s
policies in general, but that she
believes the administration could
go further in actively protecting
transgender students rights.
“The University is one of the most
liberal institutions in the country, so
there aren’t really any problematic
regulations that I’m aware of that
exist anymore,” she said. “There’s
more things that could be done to
protect LGBT, particularly trans
people, that the University could be
doing.”
The University also offers a
preferred name policy, which allows
all students to change the name they
wish to appear in the University
directory. In April, Wolverines for
Preferred Pronouns started a petition
to
additionally
allow
students’
preferred pronouns to appear on
class rosters. As of Wednesday, the
online petition has 788 signatures.
Kaufman said the University
community
has
generally
been
welcoming to her, but she considers
herself
cis-passing
—
meaning,
despite
being
a
transgender
woman, she appears to be a non-
transgender woman — which she
believes contributes to the absence of
harassment that many transgender
individuals encounter.
“Generally, the reactions I’ve
received have been very positive,
but the circles I’m in are very liberal
and accepting,” she said. “Now
when I interact with people they
don’t know that I’m trans a lot of
the time, so I don’t really deal with
that transphobia. It’s a unique thing
because of the way I’m perceived by
people. I don’t deal with a lot of the
issues that trans women deal with.”
Despite
the
positive
campus
community, Kaufman cited instances
of harassment on her social media
accounts, saying she has drawn
hostile online attention due to her
visible activism. She said she also
received a plethora of negative
reactions
from
people
walking
past her as she participated in a
demonstration where she held a sign
identifying herself as a transgender
woman.
Kaufman additionally referenced
a need for normalizing transgender
participation in sororities to help
support the idea that transgender
women are just like other women.
Kaufman said she attempted to rush
at the University, but she did not
receive any bids.
Ann Arbor Public Schools
Locally,
Ann
Arbor
Public
Schools has been working for years
to ensure a safe environment for its
transgender
students.
According
to Deb Mexicotte, president of the
Ann Arbor Public Schools Board, the
protection of students is based off of
its own non-discrimination policy,
which aims to protect all students
from any form of discrimination.
Mexicotte
said
there
is
no
specific
policy
directed
at
protecting
transgender
students,
and the implementation of the
non-discrimination
policy
varies
from school to school. However,
during Mexicotte’s tenure on the
board, there have been no issues or
complaints regarding the safety of
transgender students that have come
to her attention.
Mexicotte said she is proud of the
work the district has done to ensure a
positive learning environment for all
students.
“One of the things I’m proud of in
our community is that we try to do
the right thing for our students, our
staff and our community without
being mandated to do so,” she said.
“We are very cognizant of our role
in creating that safe and welcoming
educational environment.”
Mexicotte also indicated that any
federal ordinance is always helpful
in implementing policy and ensuring
student protection, but that it’s yet
to be determined whether or not the
recent announcement will lead to
any policy changes or new policy in
AAPS.
The State of Michigan
On a state level, the battle
for transgender rights has been
much more contentious. The state
legislature
is
currently
under
Republican control and Democrats
complainof an inability to pass
legislation they view as vital.
A proposed guidance issued by the
Michigan Department of Education
in February, advising schools to
take
action
toward
protecting
LGBTQ students — particularly
by highlighting the need to allow
transgender students to use the
restroom of their choice — drew ire
from Republican legislators such
as state Sen. Patrick Colbeck (R–
Canton).
“Our schools, our teachers, our
administrators are on the frontline
of a culture war in our society, and
as their proponents push their social
agenda into our classrooms, the
quality of education our children
receives suffers,” Colbeck proclaimed
on the Senate floor on March 22,
in response to a directive from the
Michigan Board of Education calling
for transgender students to be given
access to the bathroom of their
identity.
“Over 50 percent of our third
graders can’t read, math proficiency
for some schools hovers in the
teens, and now we have these new
guidelines that further divert our
educators from their core mission —
that of teaching our kids. It is time
to take a stand against this social
engineering,” Colbeck added.
State Rep. Jeff Irwin (D–Ann
Arbor) said it is highly unlikely for
the state to pass any legislation
aimed at fighting discrimination
against
transgender
individuals.
He went on to reference a State Sen.
Tom Casperson (R–Escanaba) who
threatened to introduce a bill similar
to the North Carolina bathroom bill,
but it never actually came to fruition.
Because of this, Irwin said
environment protections for students
must come from individual districts.
“I think the progress is going
to have to be school by school and
community by community, rather
than through the state legislature,”
he said. “I don’t anticipate the state
legislature doing something positive.”
In
the
state
of
Michigan,
transgender
students
in
K-12
schooling
reported
rates
of
harassment at 84 percent, physical
assault at 44 percent and sexual
violence at 10 percent. Nine percent
of the reported harassment was so
severe that it led the individual to
drop out of K-12 or higher education
schooling, according to a report by
the National Center for Transgender
Equality and the National Gay and
Lesbian Task Force.
Irwin does hope to see legislation
addressing
other
concerns
of
transgender individuals, including
a push to have hormone drugs used
by people in transition covered by
Medicaid and allowing transgender
individuals to change the gender that
appears on their state identification,
both of which he cited as key issues
for the transgender community.
Currently in Michigan, 19 percent
of transgender individuals have been
refused medical care due to their
gender identity/expression, and 35
percent reported postponed needed
medical care when they were sick
or injured due to discrimination,
according to the NCTE and the
NGLTF.
Kaufman also mentioned a general
need in the transgender community
for the protection of transgender
women,
specifically
transgender
women of color. According to the
National Coalition of Anti-Violence
Programs’ most recent report, nearly
90 percent of LGBTQ homicide
victims in 2013 were people of color,
with 72 percent being transgender
women and 67 percent transgender
women of color.
Kaufman said any attempt to
better the lives of these individuals
is vital.
“Getting
these
women
the
resources they need and recognizing
all the shit they have to deal with and
trying to improve their lives in any
way is very important,” Kaufman
said.
Expires May 30, 2016
9
Thursday, May 19, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS
cost of college.
“I am confident that she will be
able to (cut tuition), and there is a
difference between an idealistic
policy and a pragmatic policy
position,” Sarkar said. “Hillary
can make it more affordable and
refinance student loans — that’s
realistic, that’s something you can
hold the president accountable for.
Free college is not.”
Overall, Clinton’s plan is projected
to cost about $350 billion over the
course of 10 years, which Clinton
has said she would raise by closing
tax loopholes and expenditures for
wealthy individuals. This includes
grants the federal government
would distribute to states that are
able to commit and cut interest
rates on loans.
Republicans
As the presumptive nominee,
Trump is preparing to roll out a
full-fledged platform on higher
education. Sam Clovis, the co-chair
and policy director of Trump’s
campaign, outlined possible ideas
and policies in an interview with
Inside Higher Ed last week.
While Trump and his campaign
staff have yet to lay out specific
details, they are preparing for what
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