乐播传媒

By Leslie Fajardo

Beit Gorski is a psychotherapist at Trans Health Boulder County. Gorski introduces xemself by saying, 鈥淚 use xe, xem, xyr pronouns. I can鈥檛 say I鈥檓 a man or I鈥檓 a woman.鈥�

Generally, that鈥檚 not a problem when Gorski meets people in a personal setting, face-to-face. But out in the great big world, xe doesn鈥檛 always have that luxury. For instance, RTD bus drivers don鈥檛 always seem to get Gorski鈥檚 inter-sex identity.

鈥淚 noticed that I get 鈥榤a鈥檃med鈥� in the morning, and 鈥榮irred鈥� in the evening,鈥� said Gorski, a 乐播传媒 Boulder graduate. 鈥淚 took the bus, got on in the morning, the bus driver said good morning ma鈥檃m. Coming back into Boulder, same bus driver took me back home and said goodnight, sir.鈥�

Most of the people reading this article today usually never even think about their preferred pronouns. Take a moment and think of yourself saying, 鈥淚 use the pronouns she, her, her鈥� (or, 鈥渉e, him, his鈥�). Feels odd, doesn鈥檛 it?

And it extends beyond pronouns. It includes marriage. It includes bathrooms. It includes health insurance, unemployment, and even feeling safe.

Most recent analyses of the transgender population indicate that it is about 0.3 percent of adults in the United States, or 700,000 transgender adults. The CU Boulder Student Social Climate Survey taken in Fall 2010, showed that 1.1 percent, or approximately 300 students, identify as trans or gender-queer. This percentage may seem small, but the number doesn鈥檛 align with the immense problems trans persons face on a daily basis.

Gorski said that being transgender is never easy and that there are many safety concerns for a trans individual.

鈥淭he two biggest areas would be around educational spaces, public bathrooms, and prisons,鈥� Gorski said. 鈥淭hose three are the big areas of growth that we need to have changed like yesterday. They can鈥檛 change fast enough because those three things are so horrible to trans folks.鈥�

So, how exactly is CU Boulder making sure that trans students and faculty feel safer on campus?

Cassandra (who asked we not use her last name in the story) is a transgender woman and听a programming and electrical engineering student here at CU. As a former soldier, Cassandra听began her transition from male to female in March 2013, after a five-year stint in the U.S. Army. Coming out to her wife was especially difficult, and she also dealt with her family鈥檚 mixed reaction, which included her father鈥檚 sending her a Bible and a letter that indicated Cassandra would always be her 鈥渟on.鈥�

CU听Boulder, with its growing diverse body of students such as Cassandra, has made strides in making its transgender students more comfortable. Most observers, though, feel CU can do even more for trans students.

Scarlet Bowen, the director of the GLBTQ Resource Center, said that it will

be done听mostly through education and 鈥渁 ton of programming,鈥� including the Transforming Gender conference, held in March and free to the public. Bowen said 400 people attended last year.

Bowen also said that the center has a peer education team comprised of 鈥渟tudents who go to classes and educate people about pronoun usage, what鈥檚 the difference between gender identity and sexual orientation.鈥�

Although more and more people are being made aware of the difficulties transgender people face, not enough is being done to make them feel safe when using the restroom.

鈥淭ransfeminine folk can experience extra degrees of discrimination and prejudice, even within the LGBTQ community,鈥� Bowen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really interesting if you look at every civil rights movement it鈥檚 often been fought over bathroom access.鈥�

Ruth Hickerson, a communication professor here at CU Boulder, said that there is a certain privilege people who identify as either man or woman have when using the restroom. A privilege that isn鈥檛 acknowledged most of the time.

鈥淧eople don鈥檛 have to consider things like what restroom to go into, and will I be safe depending on the decision I make,鈥� Hickerson said.

CU鈥檚 Wardenburg Clinic is one of the few places where a wide array of transitioning resources are offered to trans individuals. Morgan Seamont, assistant director of the GLBTQ Resource Center, was one of the first people to take advantage of these resources. Seamont said that before coming out, the trans community is invisible because they鈥檙e not counted.

So, next time you go into the restroom, Scarlet Bowen wants you to think about the privilege.

鈥淭ry as hard as you can, as you鈥檙e engaging with a new population, on campus and in classrooms, to not make assumptions,鈥� Bowen said. 鈥淭hat is so helpful for any situation to not make assumptions about other people.鈥�

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