Faculty, staff and administrators discuss hardships faced by transgender and non-binary students
The reflection was an extension of last week's event, “Hearing Diverse Voices: Students Speak About Navigating CMU Through the Lens of Their Transgender and/or Non-binary Identity."
A group gathered for discussion of gender identity and how to implement safe environments in classrooms and on campus with Director of LGBTQ Services Shannon Jolliff-Dettore on Oct. 10 in Charles V. Park Library.
Central Michigan University faculty, staff and administrators discussed ideas to better accommodate non-binary and transgender students on Wednesday in Charles V. Park Library.
The reflection was an extension of last week's event, “Hearing Diverse Voices: Students Speak About Navigating CMU Through the Lens of Their Transgender and/or Non-binary Identity." Both are part of a panel series sponsored by the Multicultural and Diversity Eduction Council and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
The brown bag event allowed attendees to bring their lunch and enjoy complementary refreshments while talking about how individuals can change to better suit the needs of students. Last week, Special Assistant to the Provost Jon Humiston provided insight to the transgender and non-binary climate on campus, giving faculty a glimpse into the life of a transgender or non-binary student.
Director of LGBTQ Services and Gender Equity Programs Shannon Jolliff-Dettore led Wednesday's small-group reflection. Faculty, staff and administrators brought to light experiences regarding using wrong pronouns, struggling with habits and trying to become more gender-inclusive.
Jolliff-Dettore said that we learn gender and pronouns at an early age, making it difficult to adjust when we are confronted with something new. Because our brains are wired to make certain associations with words and people, it can take practice before mastering gender-inclusive language, she said.
"Neurons connect across our brains and are hard-wired from a really early age," Jolliff-Dettore said. "It takes time for those neurons to re-wire themselves. My best advice is to practice."
Saying "thank you" even when people are uncomfortable sharing their pronouns can be a large step in becoming more inclusive, she said. Jolliff-Dettore said using gender-inclusive language when you aren't sure of someone's pronouns is a safe way to engage in conversation with people who don't want to share.
Attendees provided a range of possible solutions to the issues faced by diverse genders in classrooms. Ideas were formed about using notecards to ask about student pronouns during the first class meeting, facilitating dialogue to foster conversations about gender and diversity, and not labeling one student as the voice of all transgender or non-binary people.
"I don't think that identifying as a woman I have a lot of conversation about what that means. How do I interpret that identity? To me, that feels like potentially a space in which some students can engage," Director of Faculty Support and Assignment Stephanie Bechtel said.
Bechtel said if students are given an opportunity to ask themselves these questions, cisgender and binary students may begin to see how differently gender can be experienced. Rather than grouping people in one label, she hopes that students can see a variety of differences among those who identify together.
Jolliff-Dettore concluded the discussion with tips for faculty, staff and administrators. Her advice included outlining gender-inclusive bathrooms near their classrooms, refraining from traditional roll call, using they/them/their if they aren't sure of a student's pronouns and providing a safe space to disclose, but not expecting students to share.
