Staff Writer
This piece serves as an opinion editorial feature on gender identity at LWC
For most, college is a time of immense self discovery. We’re not just working towards a degree; it’s during these four years that we also spend a great deal of time discovering who we truly are. Intentionally or unintentionally, we come into our own, and finally learn to thrive within ourselves.
Our minds are finally encouraged to be opened, explored, and we learn that it’s okay to be unapologetically ourselves. That’s why college is often the first time in a lot of people's lives when we finally feel comfortable enough to reveal who we’ve been inside all along.
So, imagine if this meant for you that college was the first time you felt safe enough to proclaim the gender identity you’ve always wanted to be associated with, and not just the one you’ve wanted to be associated with, but the one you felt you were genuinely supposed to be associated with.
For those who have never felt wrongly placed in their gender, it can be a hard concept to grasp. But for those who have struggled with feeling misplaced, mislabeled, and misjudged in their gender identity, the weight of the burden must be suffocating.
It’s important to understand exactly what the term gender identity means. The Human Rights Campaign defines gender identity as, “one’s innermost concept of self as male, female, a blend of both or neither --- how individuals perceive themselves and what they call themselves. One's gender identity can be the same or different from their sex assigned at birth.”
As stated before, most individuals who have never felt out of place in their assigned gender may find this a difficult concept to grasp; in fact, they may feel repulsed by the thought of those who “challenge” the gender they were born with. This repulsion most likely stems from the lack of understanding and communication on the subject of gender identity.
However, this topic seems to be becoming more vocalised, and also well received, among the students here at Lindsey Wilson.
When asked, Dr. Kara Mollis (Women’s Studies Program Coordinator and Associate Professor of English) explained that in her experience as a professor at LWC, she has found that her students are “indeed respectful to one another about gender identity,” and she believes that, “the College as well as organizations such as Alliance have been instrumental in fostering that respect.” Dr. Mollis went on to say, though, that, “it is important to listen to transgender students themselves about their own experiences on and beyond campus.”
Tobi Spangler, a student here at LWC who recently came out as transgender, helped to shed some light on such experiences. Tobi is one out of an estimated 1.4 million adults who have identified as transgender in the U.S., according to a 2016 report made by The Williams Institute.
Tobi Spangler, LWC student speaks to RaiderView about gender identity on campus.
When asked how respectful the LWC student body is when it comes to gender identity, Spangler stated that, “Lindsey Wilson as a whole is respectful to others about gender identity. I know a bunch of trans or gnc (gender nonconforming) people on campus, and so far, none of us have felt unwelcome by the school as a whole because we have different gender identities. However, we have all had our respective individual issues concerning gender identity with other students or faculty members.”
Spangler went on to say that, “the school overall is very accepting, especially President Luckey. He and Elise have made me personally feel very welcomed and valued on this campus as a Transgender person.”
As to whether or not Spangler’’s gender expression has been a draining or an uplifting experience amid peers on campus, Spangleri has only positive words to say. “I can say with all certainty that revealing my gender identity to my peers on campus has been an uplifting experience. I have had an overwhelming outpour of support and acceptance from my professors, friends, classmates, and even the president of our campus! My process of coming out and transitioning has been made so easy because of this, and for that I am incredibly grateful.”
While our campus is more welcoming towards gender identity than it probably ever has been ever before, we certainly have room to become more progressive.
Dr. Mollis encourages for, “more critical discussions about gender identity [to take place] not only in our women’s studies classes, but also in other spaces on campus.” She went on to explain that the Women’s Studies Program “tries to create various opportunities for dialogue about gender identity issues involving gender norms in general. For instance, our recent brown bag lunch on feminist concerns about the Trump administration involved such discussion, and we are planning to include presentations at this year’s Women’s Studies conference in April that focus on the experiences and concerns of transgender people, including the current debates about restroom laws.”
Dr. Mollis expressed that, “this form of consciousness-raising, which has always been an important tool in feminist politics, is the cornerstone for positive social change.”
Spangler provided even more insight as to how LWC can become more open on the topic.
“I feel like one of the biggest ways we as a campus can become more accepting of gender identity is to normalize the practice of not assuming someone's gender until they personally, explicitly tell you what it is. Normalize using gender non-specific pronouns when referring to someone until they tell you what their pronouns are. Perhaps there could be a section integrated into the FYE course about interacting with people of varying gender identities respectfully.”
Spangler went on to say, “Another thing I would implore people to do if they're interested in learning more ways to be more open and accepting of gender nonconforming people is to take a women's studies course. The program really sheds light on the topic of gender and issues related to it, and the gender nonconforming community is a frequent topic of discussion.”
While the gender nonconforming community still faces discrimination--and quite little protection--under our national law, the future for the community continues to look more hopeful. “Society at large, I think, is actually working toward a more inclusive idea about gender,” Spangler stated. And based on what I’ve learned in the last few weeks, it looks like Lindsey Wilson is too.