While the University's nondiscrimination policy is still being updated after the addition of a clause intended to prevent discrimination based on an individual's gender, advocates of transgender issues are calling for more practical implementation of the clause on Penn's campus.
The "gender identity" clause is generally seen as a way to officially protect transgender students on campus.
Tweaking the current co-ed housing policy, changing the male/female choice on University forms and creating gender-neutral restrooms in Penn facilities are just some of the ways in which the gender-identity clause can be practically implemented, Erin Cross, the associate director of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center said.
Cross said there is no way to estimate the number of transgender people at Penn, since gender is not asked on official forms.
"There are students, staff [who are transgender]. I don't think [there are] faculty, but some people will never identify themselves [openly] as transgender," she said. "It is important to note that transgender people are everywhere, regardless of race or socioeconomic status."
Cross, who works with a small transgender task force on campus, said that the word transgender is an "umbrella term" that includes cross-dressers, drag kings and queens and transsexuals.
"It's unique to each person," she said. "Some people don't even have an identifying word for themselves. It's anyone who feels that they don't fit into the male/female binary."
Cross pointed out that transgender individuals are distinct from lesbians, gays and bisexuals in that they are characterized by their variance in gender identity, rather than in sexual orientation.
Queer Student Alliance co-Chairman and Wharton sophomore Brett Thalmann said that while the transgender community may seem to have a minimal presence on campus, its issues must be broadcast to the larger Penn community.
"Most students haven't had or don't know they've had interactions with transgender students," he said. "We as a community need to better understand what the transgender issues are and how we can best advocate on behalf of the students."
Cross said that one way the community can address transgender individuals' needs is to modify the new housing option -- officially known as "gender neutral" -- so that "gender is taken out of the equation completely."
This process has already begun, since the additional forms that must be filled out by those wishing to live in a gender-neutral setting do not ask for gender and the standard housing forms are currently being altered to ask for "male, female and other," said Phil Nichols, Faculty Director of College Houses and Academic Services.
Cross said that she would like to see other University forms similarly modified. She also said that she hopes gender-neutral, individual bathrooms can be included in construction plans for new buildings, combined with current handicapped bathrooms or added to existing facilities.
Efforts to make Penn's campus more comfortable for transgender individuals can extend even further. QSA Outreach Director and Wharton and Engineering junior Clifford Jones said that the thefacebook.com group that he helped organize, Gay Fridays at Cliff's, is planning a "gender bender" party to which partygoers can come dressed as any gender or mix of genders they want, in order to raise awareness about the transgender community.
"This is a party where everybody can bend gender or cross-dress whether they normally identify as trans or not," he said. "It can build acceptance for people to do that when they want on a regular basis."
