Coalition for Women's Identities
Tuesday, 4 December 2018 - 3:04pm

On October 21st, 2018, a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services was leaked to the New York Times. The memo discusses a proposal to limit the definition of sex as it relates to federal protections. According to the 2018 New York Times article, “the agency’s proposed definition would define sex as either male or female, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with” (Green, Benner, & Pear, 2018). This new definition seeks to eradicate federal recognition of those who identify as a gender other than what they were assigned at birth, and/or, who identify as non-binary. Let us be clear that ACPA’s Coalition for Women’s Identities (CWI) does not support this proposed gender definition, as it represents another manifestation of erasing trans people from society, which has implications for all communities.

CWI understands this proposed policy as an effort to undermine and negate the humanity of those who identify as transgender. This policy serves only to deny civil rights, human rights, to transgender community members.

This is not the first federal effort CWI opposes that extract the rights of trans folks in our surrounding communities. In 2017 when Departments of Education and Justice rescinded guidance providing explicit Title IX coverage for trans students and colleagues issued by the Obama administration in May 2016.

 

Trans Colleagues and Students:

Let it be clear, that YOU EXIST.

CWI values you. CWI supports you. CWI rejects this memo/proposed policy. CWI rejects the gender binary reinforced in higher education and society. CWI rejects the idea that trans is monolithic. CWI WILL NOT BE SILENT.

 

Cisgender Colleagues and Students (adapted from 2018 OUT Magazine article):

  • BLACK TRANS LIVES MATTER

  • TRANS PEOPLE OF COLOR MATTER.

  • Reflect on your cisgender privilege. Become aware of your privilege and how you defensively react to your cisgender privilege. We recommend Dr. Sherry Watt’s (2007) Privileged Identity Exploration Model as a starting place.

  • Get out the vote! As the OUT.com article states, “We know there are a lot of feelings about voting in general, but let’s put it this way: Voting at the state and local level is especially helpful to trans liberation because: The midterm elections (this year) aren’t just about Congress, it’s also about state legislatures, state courts, city council races, and local school board elections.”

  • Engage with trans-led groups. Major organizations in this fight do not always center trans folks in their work. Support trans-led groups on a regional and national level, such as organizations like the Audre Lorde Project.

  • Pay attention to the notice and comment periods on proposed federal regulations. Notice and comment periods, like the one for the proposed change on the federal definition of gender, are a time to elevate your voice and opinion on a national level. Also, understand differences between guidelines, proposals, bills, executive orders, and etc.

  • Center trans and nonbinary scholar-practitioners, students, and student development theory. In addition, make sure other campuses are doing the same. Truly disrupt cisnormative practice, and examine the subtle manifestations of power, privilege, and oppression impacting trans people in student affairs work.

 

 

References:

Green, E., Benner, K., & Pear, R. “‘Transgender’ Could Be Defined Out of Existence Under Trump Administration.” The New York Times (2018) p. A1.

Hell No to the Memo: 7 Action Items to Protect Trans and GNC People. [Editorial]. (2018, October 21). OUT Magazine. Retrieved from OUT.com

Watt, S. K. (2007). Difficult Dialogues, Privilege and Social Justice: Uses of the Privileged Identity Exploration (PIE) Model in Student Affairs Practice. College student affairs journal, 26(2), 114-126.

 

Other Resources:

Audre Lorde Project: https://alp.org/

Black Lives Matter: blacklivesmatter.com