Transcend to host ally meeting to kick off the semester
Transcend, a register student organization for transgender and gender nonconforming people, will host it first ally meeting to teach other students about the community on Thursday at 7pm in the University Center.
Kai Niezgoda, the president of group and a genderqueer – a person who uses gender pronouns such as they, them and their to describe gender types – said that ally meetings are an opportunity for friends, family, significant others who want to learn more or to participate in Transcends activities and discussions.
"Anyone who is interesting in broadening their understanding, and who are willing to open to people who may have experiences different than theirs should come," Niezgoda said.
The group has hosted ally meetings since the fall of 2013, but plan on changing this year's meeting, making it more open to all groups of people based on their understanding of the transgender community.
"For people with no understanding of trans issue, we are going to start at the 100 level, talking about different terms and concepts," Niezgoda said. "Then people who are coming in with more of a base knowledge, we are planning to separate them and having a separate conversation."
Orville senior and cisgender woman Hannah Mollett said that she had attended ally meetings put on by Transcend in the past. Mollet said the meetings have taught her how to better supporter to the transgender and gender-nonconformist community.
"It educated me on what gender nonconforming people go through in a day that a cisgender person wouldn't think about," Mollett said. "For example going out of their way to find a gender-neutral bathroom."
In addition, Transcend hosts weekly meetings typically on Thursday, but only transgender and gender nonconforming individuals can attend.
Melanie Nicholas, vice president of Transcend, identifies as a transwoman using feminine pronouns. She said that the organization has hosted other events that have helped build a base of allies, including Trans Day Awareness.
"Last semester, we held a mostly flyer campaign called 'pee in privacy' because they are not many gender-neutral bathrooms on campus," Nicholas said. "We are not always safe in either bathroom once we begin to transition."
Other events that Transcend plans on doing this semester include activities during Coming Out Week, Oct. 6-10, and Trans Awareness Week, held on from Nov. 17-21.
The ally meeting is scheduled to be held in the Mount Pleasant Room in the Bovee University Center, but the location will be confirmed on the Transcend Facebook page.
