Brave New World: Students Transitioning Gender on Campus

Posted Tuesday, November 22, 2011 in Journalism Network & Reprints by Rachel Hoffman

http://campusprogress.org/articles/brave_new_world_students_transitioning_gender_on_campus/

Steph wasn't born with the body of a woman, but she's chosen the name "Steph" to replace her birth name of "Stephen." The pronoun "he" is now foreign to her as she strives to be gendered as a female by her Northwestern peers.

Most won't ever encounter a transgender student here. They are poorly represented in campus culture and university policy and programming, and according to the LGBT Resource Center at Northwestern, there are only five to 10 trans students at the university during any given year. Student health insurance explicitly bars coverage for trans-related procedures, and many struggle for comfortable campus housing and appropriate bathroom accommodations.