Universities We Will Have Your Back

More and more colleges and universities declare their support for us.

In Massachusetts…

Transgender rights rally draws hundreds at Boston City Hall
BU News Service
By Yidan Sun
October 29, 2018

BOSTON- At Boston City Hall Plaza, where hundreds of demonstrators rallied in support of transgender rights ahead of the midterm election’s ballot Question 3, Jackie Rae, a Berklee music student and transgender woman, sang the lyrics of the song written by herself “Who am I?”

“Am I the boy you thought I’d be? Who am I? Am I the girl you just can’t see? Who am I? Is it wrong that I don’t know who am I? Is it dumb for me to hope that things will change in this world and no more asking boy or girl?”

~~~

3Q: Alyce Johnson on upholding the rights of MIT’s transgender community
At MIT, “we are committed to looking after each other,” says interim Institute community and equity officer.
MIT News
By Kathy Wren
October 29, 2018

When Massachusetts voters head to the polls on Nov. 6 for the 2018 midterm election, one of the items they’ll find on the ballot is Question 3, about whether to uphold a 2016 state law barring discrimination against transgender people in public spaces such as stores and restaurants.

With the election drawing near, MIT News spoke with interim Institute Community and Equity Officer Alyce Johnson, who leads the ICEO in its mission to advance a respectful and caring community that embraces diversity and empowers everyone to learn and do their best at MIT.

Johnson spoke about the Institute’s commitment to protecting the rights of transgender members of the MIT community, regardless of the ballot initiative’s outcome, and why respectful, open dialogue is an essential component of MIT’s campus life.

Q: What would be the effect on MIT policies if Question 3 does not pass, and the law protecting transgender people from discrimination in public places is overturned?

A: MIT’s senior administration and I want our community to know that our support for MIT’s transgender community is steadfast, and that the Institute’s nondiscrimination policy, which expressly prohibits discrimination based on gender identity, will remain in place if the state law is repealed following the Nov. 6 election. The same will be true if the federal government more narrowly defines gender under federal law, a change that is reportedly under consideration. I want to reassure our community that MIT is permitted to offer antidiscrimination protections that are broader than what is protected by state and federal law. The Institute’s policies will continue to prohibit discrimination or harassment at MIT based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

In addition to the policies we have in place, our unwavering commitment to the rights of transgender students, staff, and faculty will also continue regardless of the outcome of the election or of any potential federal policy changes. As just one example, the pilot project to designate certain all-gender restrooms on campus will keep moving forward.

Then up in Vermont…

UVM Students Walk Out in Support of Transgender People
Hundreds of students at the University of Vermont walked out of class to show solidarity and support for transgender people.
U.S. News and World Report
October 30, 2018

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Hundreds of students at the University of Vermont walked out of class to show solidarity and support for transgender people.

UVM's Queer Student Union says it organized the Monday walkout in response to reports that the Trump administration is seeking to narrowly define gender in a way that would deny civil rights protections to transgender Americans. WCAX-TV reports the demonstrators say they were confident the walkout would make a difference in both the college community and for transgender and nonbinary people nationwide.

Then at Middlebury College also in Vermont…

Middlebury Statement on Transgender
October 29, 2018
 
President Laurie Patton and Chief Diversity Officer Miguel Fernández emailed the following statement to the Middlebury community on Friday, October 26.

You may have heard this week that, according to the New York Times, the Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans gender discrimination in education programs that receive government financial assistance. The proposal calls for narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth. Many see this as a way of the government eradicating federal recognition of the estimated 1.4 million Americans who identify as a gender other than the one they were born into.

We write to assure you that any change to the national policy will have no effect on Middlebury’s policies or procedures. Middlebury prohibits discrimination in employment (or in admission or access to its educational or extracurricular programs, activities, or facilities) based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, among many other forms of identity. Furthermore, it is unlawful in Vermont for an employer to discriminate because of a person’s race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, place of birth, disability or age.

In Pennsylvania…

Penn State community stands for transgender equality
The Underground
By Shia Miller
October 30, 2018

On Monday afternoon, Penn State staff, students and State College residents stood at the Allen Street Gates to stand up for transgender equality. The peaceful gathering aimed to make an impact and bring awareness to the uncertain future that the transgender community faces.

Last week, The New York Times reported that the Department of Health and Human Services under the Trump administration has aimed to narrow the legal definition of gender. Under the new definition, sex would be limited to the binary terms of male and female, as determined by a medical professional at birth. Changing this law undermines the protection of rights of the transgender community — nearly 1.4 million Americans. This policy hits home here in State College, where about 20 students and residents protested for peace, each for various reasons.

For many who were protesting, the idea of allyship and support were at the forefront of their motivation. “I came to show support for friends and neighbors. Trans rights are human rights,” said Cristy Schmidt of State College who is a Penn State employee.

In Hartford… The University of Hartford held a rally last Friday

Okay there is a lot of support out there for us, colleges and universities  but in the long run Trump is going to have his way unless the courts block him. His Executive Order will be applied to any school or agencies that receive federal funding which includes universities, colleges, homeless shelters, hospitals, long term care facilities, senior centers, and just about every business that have federal contracts.