Siena Student Climate Survey: 100% of transgender students face bias and discrimination

    Transgender individuals are more likely to face violence, poverty, mental health issues, homelessness, and unemployment compared to the general U.S. population. The statistics mentioned in the 2015 Report of the U.S. Transgender Survey Executive Summary that related to the school experience for transgender folks were alarming, as over three quarters "of those who were out or perceived as transgender at some point between Kindergarten and Grade 12 (K-12) experienced some form of mistreatment, such as being verbally harassed, prohibited from dressing according to their gender identity, [or] disciplined more harshly..." (James et. al, 2016). I would hope that as a person gets older they would become more accepting of all gender identities despite any differences between themselves and others. I expected the percentage from K-12 to college to decrease, because I assumed that a person would be more likely to reject discriminatory views once they are no longer under the influence of potentially transphobic family members or friends when they go to college. The fact that the approximate amount of transgender people who face discrimination is 77% in grades K-12 but that number is even larger at Siena College immediately strikes me as problematic. Furthermore, almost a quarter of transgender folks in college have been "verbally, physically, or sexually harassed" according to the U.S. national average, and it is shocking to think about the extent of the oppression that transgender folks face on a daily basis (James et. al, 2016).

    Although the statistic that 100% of Siena transgender students expressed that they had personally experienced bias or harassment is horrific and it makes me feel so bad that people have to face discrimination just for existing, unfortunately I do not find this to be very surprising. I have witnessed firsthand the remarks that students on this campus make about transgender individuals, and my friends who go to other colleges have told me transphobia is a part of the culture at universities with prominent Greek life organizations. Transgender folks should not have to feel uncomfortable during the normal activities of daily life that many cisgender people take for granted, such as using the restroom without being questioned or strangers telling them how they should or shouldn't dress. 

    I do not think there is a simple or quick fix for the systemic issues of internalized transphobia and discrimination against transgender folks. I do not think it is a secret that our society is quite transphobic, as anti-transgender crimes are frequent and our current administration even passed a law in January of 2018 that allows doctors to refuse to treat patients based on their gender identity (National Institute for Transgender Equality, 2020). I think these ideas are reinforced throughout a person's childhood, as gender roles that are strictly adhered to feeds into the anti-transgender ideology. It is difficult for Siena to retrain students to overcome the transphobia that has been ingrained in them, especially if the students are not open to changing their views, but it is certainly not impossible.

I think Siena can work towards fixing this issue by incorporating policies that protect people of varying gender identities from facing discrimination. Trans-specific diversity training would be a step towards achieving this goal. I was recently a SAINT orientation leader and I was pleasantly surprised by the emphasis on accepting people of different races on campus and how to avoid saying microaggressions that may seem harmless but are quite hurtful. However, I noticed that there was not a great deal of training on issues that transgender folks face, other than a 3 minute skit video about singling out a transgender student by making him say his pronouns but neglecting to ask other people to say theirs. I think spending even an hour to talk about the discrimination transgender folks face, how to be accepting of different gender identities, and our responsibility as Siena students to change these statistics during freshman orientation would be helpful for incoming students who may have never interacted with transgender folks. I think this would prevent them from immediately stereotyping a transgender individual and that could help change the culture on campus as a whole. Seeing that not only a majority but 100% of transgender students face discrimination on campus is jarring, and showing students these statistics may help to change their actions in the future. 

Along with including these changes to freshmen orientation, I think requiring readings and discussions in FYSM classes about the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community as well as other minority groups would be useful. I was lucky enough to spend a great deal of time on a different group of marginalized people every month of my “What does it mean to be an American” FYSM class that was heavily focused on diversity in America and the different types of oppression that people of different races, genders, and sexualities face. In contrast, I know that my peers in other classes had vastly different experiences and they never discussed these topics at all. It seems as though covering these topics in a FYSM class is simply encouraged rather than required, as I am unsure why I had such a vastly different experience than some other students (even though I know every FYSM class has a different theme). Nevertheless, a standardized requirement for FYSM classes to spend at least a few weeks covering these topics would be helpful to ensure that all Siena students are aware of the issues that marginalized groups face.

Another policy that I think would be helpful is adjusting the Franciscan requirement for diversity to be more focused on being an ally for the LGBTQ+ community and minority communities. I’ve noticed that the diversity requirement at Siena is often filled by classes that do not directly relate to diversity. I know people who have taken classes like Philosophy of Art for an upper level philosophy credit that just so happens to fill their diversity requirement, and while I accept it is useful to learn about philosophy as I see the value of it, I really do not think that a class like that should fulfill a diversity requirement. Classes like that do not teach students how to be accepting of people who are different from them, so they should not count as diversity promoting classes. Similarly, I’ve spoken to many of my Siena peers who are on the new Diversity and Action Committee (DAC) that was started this year, and they often complain that this creating organization was a strategic move as it is often used by administrators as evidence that Siena is promoting diversity and equality. In reality, my friends have said that this committee does not do much and that while there is usually a lot of conversation about hiring faculty members of color or getting the Siena community involved, there has never been any action to follow through with those ideas. Siena’s Franciscan values focus on community and loving everyone in that community, but I think sometimes the facade of diversity committees or requirements are utilized to prove that our college supports a diverse environment. This makes it seem like our college is doing their part when they may not actually be. I understand that this is not always the case and sometimes these initiatives are well-intentioned, however it seems like too often than not the message behind these programs gets lost in translation.

In my version of an improved class that fits the diversity requirement, allyship for people of different races, sexualities, and gender identities would be the main focus of the curriculum. For the class unit on transgender individuals, I think it would be important to acknowledge that in order to respect someone's gender identity, I have to first understand it and know that they exist. I think it would be helpful to learn how to avoid language or backhanded compliments that stereotype transgender people, by understanding the harm that comments like "You look like a real woman" causes. Understanding that some questions are inappropriate to ask is important, as people shouldn’t ask whether a transgender person has had genital reassignment surgery, if they’ll change their mind, or if they are taking hormones. This is vital as that can prevent transgender people from being in the uncomfortable position of revealing personal information to others. A guideline I’ve used to explain this to my family members in the past is that if you wouldn’t feel comfortable being asked a specific question by a stranger OR if they wouldn’t dare ask a non-transgender person that question, such as inquiries about how they engage in sexual activity or personal medical questions, then they shouldn’t ask a transgender individual that question either.