Harvard's new gender identity policy

[Kate Thomas]

Good News A positive policy

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512629

University To Include Gender Identity in Non-discrimination Policy

Decision Comes After Months of Mounting Pressure

Published On Tuesday, April 11, 2006  7:35 PM

By RACHEL L. POLLACK

Crimson Staff Writer

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Harvard announced today that it would amend its non-discrimination policy to protect "gender identity," following growing pressure from undergraduates to safeguard the rights of transgender students and staff.

"Amending the non-discrimination policy to include gender identity is intended to reaffirm that all members of the Harvard community, including those who are transgendered, should be judged on their own merits, not their status," said University spokesman Joe Wrinn.

Harvard joins 52 other universities, including Brown and Cornell, in amending its policy.

The decision was announced this afternoon to members of the Transgender Task Force (TTF), an undergraduate group that has advocated for the inclusion of gender identity since 1997, in a meeting with Robert Iuliano, the University's General Counsel.

According to students at that meeting, Iuliano said that the Corporation, the University's highest governing board, had agreed to add gender identity to the non-discrimination policy at their last meeting.

Nearly 30 University and community groups co-sponsored an Undergraduate Council bill last Sunday to urge the administration to include "gender identity and expression" in its non-discrimination policy.

"I think that it's been the result of students' hard work over the past nine years," said Undergraduate Council representative Eric I. Kouskalis '07, who sponsored the UC bill. "The Trans Task Force has really been working very hard behind the scenes."

Contact the Harvard Trans Task Force by emailing harvardttf@gmail.com or visit web page
http://hcs.harvard.edu/queer/ttf/index.html

[Gill]

Hi KateAlice:

Thanks for this.  At our University we do a lot of talking about diversity, but gender identity seems never to be included in the speil....

Our group is organizing a session with our HR department and I know this is one of the items we will be discussing. 

Again thanks for the link it will help when we meet with HR.

Gill

[Kate Thomas]

An update

keeping the issue on the front burner

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=512891

The rally, organized by the Transgender Task Force, occurred a week after Harvard announced that it will include the phrase "gender identity" in its University-wide non-discrimination policy. A crowd of over 200 people attended the event, according to Noah E. Lewis, a co-coordinator of the Task Force.

The event was intended both as a "celebration" of the policy amendment and a "call for concrete changes" said Lewis, a Harvard Law School graduate who spoke at the rally.

Co-coordinater of the Trans Task Force M. Barusch '06 said yesterday's gathering was the "most people that I've ever seen at any trans event during my four years at Harvard."

Barusch added, however, that the campus' support for transgender people is still lacking.

"I think it is hard to say that the Harvard community is generally supportive of a group of people that are often forced to be hidden or invisible."

Lewis said that while he thought Harvard was doing the "right thing," the change was late in coming. Harvard became the 53rd school to amend its non-discrimination policy.

A Boston Globe story discusses issues at MIT, Harvard and other MA. campuses.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/04/20/transgendered_seek_campus_support/

[madison]

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

It makes me feel a lot better knowing that there are people actively trying to make a difference. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our private worlds and forget there is a larger world that needs attending to.

Thank you Kate Alice and Gil.

A big round of applause for those out there; talking about it, doing it, living it. Many thanks.