In the wake of a President Donald Trump administration memo about a proposal to establish a rigid legal definition of gender under Title IX, Syracuse University students and faculty voiced concern about possible discrimination against the transgender community under the proposal.

A memo from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services acquired by The New York Times suggests defining gender as “male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with.” Transgender and gender nonconforming individuals do not identify with the gender assigned to them at birth, and non-binary individuals do not wholly identify along the gender binary.

This narrowed definition of gender would do “enormous damage” by eliminating federal recognition for an estimated 1.4 million people, said Margaret Himley, a professor and director of the LGBT studies program at SU, in an email.

Eli Blodgett, a sophomore stage management major who is agender and queer, said their initial reaction to the proposal was “a combination of being completely shocked and being not shocked at all.”

Blodgett added they were unsurprised by the motives behind the proposal, given the administration’s previous actions regarding the transgender community.

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Oluwafolabomi Olujimi, a junior neuroscience and communication and rhetorical studies double major from Nigeria who identifies as cisgender, said the proposal came as a shock to her given the United States’ brief history of more progressive policies regarding the LGBT community, referencing the Supreme Court’s legalization of gay marriage in 2015.

“I come from a culture where anyone who doesn’t fit some sort of social norm faces prosecution,” she said, adding that she was expecting “more liberation” when she came to the U.S.

As part of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally-funded educational institutions and programs. The amendment applies to most public or private colleges and universities, including SU. In light of the proposal, Chancellor Kent Syverud issued a statement that reiterated SU’s commitment to protecting transgender and gender nonconforming individuals on campus.

“Our support for transgender individuals remains steadfast,” he said in the statement.

The university will continue to enforce both federal and New York state nondiscriminatory laws pertaining to gender identity, according to the statement. It will investigate cases of harassment and discrimination, uphold the preferred name policy and plan to build more gender-inclusive living spaces.

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“The demonstration and the statement from the Chancellor are important ways for the University to make it clear that we value the transgender community and will continue to protect their rights,” Himley said.

Blodgett said they, among others, are working with the university to ensure the gender-related Title IX policies are upheld regardless of legal obligation.

Jennifer Grygiel, an assistant professor of communications at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a focus in social media, said the proposal felt “political, again.” Grygiel, who identifies as non-binary, said they would expect to see people protesting the proposal and organizing on social media platforms, as well as possible increased hashtag usage and hashtag campaigns.

Compared to the online mobilization around the issue of same-sex marriage, Grygiel has seen similar online activism. The transgender community online has done a lot of organizational work on platforms such as Instagram, with images being circulated primarily among supporters of the movement, Grygiel added.

Blodgett said cisgender allyship is important, and those in social positions of privilege must take steps to be politically active every day.

“In this time, we cannot be passive,” Blodgett said. “As someone who fights for my rights on a daily basis, that’s a little more necessary, but people who have privilege should use that privilege to be less politically apathetic.”

More than 40 students gathered on the Quad on Oct. 31 to protest the proposal. Blodgett, who helped organize the protest, said the rally was a “more direct experience of what trans people face everyday.”

“This move is part of a broader project of attacking the civil rights of many groups in the U.S. All of us who are committed to human rights, human dignity and human diversity must and will fight back,” Himley said.

Published on November 11, 2018 at 9:58 pm

Contact Emma: esfolts@syr.edu