Responding to the concerns of some constituents, the Undergraduate Assembly passed a statement that supports looking into ways to make transgender students, faculty and staff feel more comfortable at Penn.
The statement -- which was introduced on Sunday at the UA's final general body meeting of the semester -- is in response to the University's addition of "gender identity" to its non-discrimination clause in spring 2003.
The University policy asserts that Penn "values diversity and seeks talented student, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds" and "does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity" and other characteristics.
"Given that the University added 'gender identity' to its non-discrimination clause, we support an investigation into what this means in a practical sense," UA Chairman and College senior Jason Levine said.
The statement was not developed internally by the UA but was authored by one of its constituents, Civic House Associate Coalition Chair and College senior Bradley Breuer.
Breuer expressed dissatisfaction with the progress that the University has made regarding the year-and-a-half-old amendment to its non-discrimination policy.
"Things move like molasses at Penn sometimes," Breuer said, but he also acknowledged the difficulty of defining a practical application of the "gender identity" clause.
"Its really hard, but it doesn't mean that I don't think we should be pushing for it," he said.
While the UA has not committed to rectifying any specific problems or concerns, a few issues have been identified by others on campus as particularly problematic.
The University "could be doing a lot more than they are," said Erin Cross, associate director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center.
Cross noted that to her knowledge, not all University paperwork includes "gender identity" in the non-discrimination clause yet, and most forms asking for gender only provide choices for "male" and "female." Additionally, in all new construction on campus, there are no gender-neutral bathrooms unless they are handicapped.
According to Breuer, co-educational housing by room is currently available, but it is not publicized, nor does it appear as an option on the housing application. Students must specifically request this option.
"Separate but equal is not equal," Breuer said.
Yet both Breuer and Cross were happy to see that the UA had the issue of "gender identity" discrimination and fair treatment on its agenda.
"I'm just glad that the UA ... has this on their radar and hope this will help move Penn in the right direction," Cross said.
The UA's statement is "a strong show of support for transgender students at Penn," Breuer said.
Yet he stressed that "operationalizing what [the UA] has promised to do here is going to be a challenge. I hope that they will do that, as I hope every University administrator will."
University administrators involved with implementing the non-discrimination policy could not be reached for comment.
