I had some issues with the community college where I am taking a course, but after filing a complaint and getting in touch with their Title IX office, it sounds like they're going to fix my name for me. :)
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You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
Once I said "transphobic," "discrimination," and "creating a hostile environment" they seemed to change their tune pretty quickly. Apparently it's common to not recognise anything without a legal name change. Which is a crappy policy and one my uni doesn't recognise at all. With my normal uni everything was changeable with no issues at all. Like I get they need to use my legal name on some things, like government affiliated documentation for financial aid and such, but everything else to say you cannot let me use the correct name and only legal name is just a crap policy. And I told them I want to discuss it further because they need to have a system in place for how to handle this in the future. This is a major barrier for trans and gender non-conforming students and as a community college, their goal should be to get rid of barriers, not create more.
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You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
Exactly! I get the legal aspects but people go by different names all the time - I have friends who go by names different than their given ones. Definitely something that needs to catch up with the times.
If you don't mind me asking, are you planning on legally changing your name? Is that a difficult process?
So I will change my name eventually legally. Just want to be sure I am okay with this name first.
It's not as difficult as the gender marker change seems to be - at least in my state. For the name change it's the legal forms, you have to take out a newspaper ad/notice thing for like 30 days in advance saying you are doing it, then court date/court fees. I think it's kind of expensive more so than difficult - I haven't checked the fees yet. Plus just the court system/legal system is sort of confusing and overwhelming.
Gender marker change is slightly different and my state is one of the ones that the process is kind of ****ed.
Please do not give me virtual hugs unless you are only using the hug function on threads. Thanks.
You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
Camden is an epic name-means you may have to do us Brits the honour of visiting the epicness that is Camden in London though somewhere down the line :P
Glad you are making progress towards being your true self :)
'Never forget what you are. The rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor, and it can never be used to hurt you.'
['There is only one thing we say to death. Not today'.']
'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.’ – Oscar Wilde
‘It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.’ Sydney Carter
At my university a couple bathrooms are now gender neutral, while there is a campaign to not allow discrimination against the trans community in other ones with cis- gender specs.
Some of the professors sign their email to reflect their gender identity e.g.:
Yours sincerely.
Camden
Camden
Student (what you are studying)
Contact info
Pronouns: they/them
Just an idea to familiarize others- I suppose it is already being done on RYL
~Happy tomatoes together we will be~
You say toe- may- toe, I say toe- mah- toe:
Let's call the whole thing- red
“It’s time to lead the third revolution, which is not to say we want to be at the top of the world, but to say we want to change the world. Because the way the world has been designed by men is not working. It’s not working for women, it’s not working for men,
it’s not working for polar bears.” Arianna Huffington 2014
Thanks, Katy! I have googled this Camden and agree that I must go there some day! :)
Hi bitomato, my university also has gender neutral bathrooms spread around campus. There are also multiple apps that you can use that show locations of safe bathrooms anywhere in your area! There's a few staff members at our uni who do the pronoun thing, though I will say it's generally just the few who are either allies or safe zone trained. It's not super common and as a student I would be reluctant to do this or use this myself. I will correct people in certain situations, but you do still have to be careful.
Though to point out (which I am sure you know but others might not): pronouns and gender identity are not the same, and you don't have to share your identity with anyone for any reason. All I've had to do is tell professors or staff my correct name and pronouns to use. I don't have to say why or say that I am genderqueer, trans, or anything. They're not allowed to question it which is really nice! Even my supervisor just had to say okay and change everything.
Please do not give me virtual hugs unless you are only using the hug function on threads. Thanks.
You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
I went in to the LGBTQ center on campus yesterday to try to ask the director something but she was busy. But the other staff person recognised me and talked to me for a few minutes and then some of the other humans hanging out in there asked if I wanted to play Cards Against Humanity with them? So I did.
I asked if any of them knew how trans friendly the rec center on campus was. They said they'd never gone in because it is really not. But. They said that there is something called a Trans Pool Party that occurs at some point during the year, and that it is literally only for trans folks! So that is the only time they ever go in and that it is definitely safe to go then and safe to swim and nobody will judge. Which was interesting.
They said there are a lot of other events and groups that occur and to definitely keep coming by. That some times are quieter than others and that there are also designated quiet times too, so definitely find out when there are, because I should hang out there again?
They seemed nice and even asked my pronouns!
There was also one card during Cards Against Humanity that was like, "what are you hiding from your parents" and one girl said "hormone injections" and I was like wait oh gods that is me wow okay glad I am not the only one?
Please do not give me virtual hugs unless you are only using the hug function on threads. Thanks.
You can't always keep it separate.
This is happening, this is part of you.
