Transgender Awareness Week, and in particular Transgender Day of Remembrance, focuses on bringing awareness to the transgender people who have been murdered this past year, often due to the increasing transphobia and anti-transgender violence in the country.
This year, the GLBT Center will be observing this significant week from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20.
The theme of this year’s Transgender Awareness Week is “Honoring the Intersections,” which will draw attention to the intersectional lives of transgender individuals and the different types of issues they may face. The GLBT Center emphasizes the importance of honoring a student for every aspect of their identity, not just one.
In honor of Transgender Awareness Week, Andy DeRoin, the program coordinator of the GLBT Center, reflected on the progress NC State has made with transgender students.
“There has been increasing awareness around the needs of transgender students, especially by policymakers,” DeRoin said. “For example, Student Government passed a trans-inclusive syllabi act, which created a mechanism for faculty to put on their syllabus that they acknowledge that there are students who may use a different name or pronouns.”
DeRoin also mentioned that Student Government has addressed gender-inclusive housing.
“Right now, we are operating under a ban on gender-inclusive housing,” DeRoin said. “However, Student Government has been more vocal on having a Living and Learning Village that brings attention to and gives transgender students a sense of security of some kind.”
However, despite NC State’s progress with transgender students, there are still areas that need improvement.
Madison Smith, a second-year studying zoology, shared thoughts on how NC State’s faculty and facilities could improve in regards to serving transgender students.
“Professors really need to work on honoring students’ pronouns; misgendering someone could ruin their entire day,” Smith said. “In addition, I think NC State should have more gender-neutral bathrooms. We do have single-use bathrooms but, I believe, if people see a sign for a gender-neutral bathroom, it would bring more awareness around gender on campus in itself.”
Again, DeRoin also emphasized the importance of gender-inclusive housing on campus.
“NC State needs to look at how we are providing any type of response or continued awareness to the ban on gender-inclusive housing,” DeRoin said. “This is a very prevalent issue on campus. We are not able to house students in accordance with their gender identity. We need to continue to make people aware that we are operating under a ban. It would be great and very beneficial to many students if we didn’t.”
Smith challenges those who may not typically pay attention to or attend events like Transgender Awareness Week to step out of their comfort zone and support the LGBTQ+ community on campus.
“Some students and faculty either don’t know anything, don’t care to know, or think they don’t have to know anything about the LGBTQ+ community,” Smith said. “Nobody knows who they might possibly interact with. There are students on campus who might be dealing with gender identity issues, students who could be closeted or even questioning their sexuality. It is foolish to turn a blind eye and be ignorant about this topic, since it is so prevalent and crucial in our society.”
For those interested in participating in Transgender Awareness Week, there are many events being held like Politics of Transgender Healthcare, Free Expression Tunnel painting, a film screening and discussion, and Transgender Day of Remembrance.
For more information on events, visit the GLBT Center’s website for the Transgender Awareness Week calendar, as well as a variety of ways to support the LGBTQ+ community on campus.
