Gender identity issues are the focus of workshops
“My name is Red. I use he/him/his pronouns,” says Red Tremmel, director of the Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity, who is teaching two-hour Transgender 101 workshops. One way to create an inclusive environment, Tremmel suggests, is to ask for preferred pronours when students introduce themselves in class. (Photo by Luisa Dantas)
He/him/his. She/her/hers. They/them/theirs. Tulane University is one of the first universities to provide an online process for students to indicate their preferred first name and preferred pronoun to the university registrar. The preferred pronoun will be shared with academic advisers, campus healthcare providers and faculty members.
For those at Tulane University who would like to better understand the evolving issues of gender identity, Red Vaughan Tremmel, director of the Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity, is offering free Transgender 101 workshops.
“Trans people are not new. They"re newly visible,” said Tremmel, a historian who teaches in the Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.
People are quite different in how they identify their gender and how they would like to be seen, Tremmel said.
“The ways that our students are talking about gender and sexuality are more nuanced than ever.”
Not all transgender people feel that they were born in the wrong body, Tremmel said, and a gender-nonconforming person may not identify as either male or female. Many students have re-appropriated the term “queer” as an identity that embraces a diversity of genders and sexualities. The registrar"s form, which originated from recommendations by the Tulane Undergraduate Student Government and represents best practices of university registrars, allows four options: he, she, they and “name only.”
Tremmel"s office has a number of programs and services designed to foster transgender resilience. In addition, he is actively developing a network of allies to foster an inclusive environment at Tulane. On Nov. 19, Tulane will observe a Day of Remembrance and Resilience at 4 p.m. on McAlister Way on the uptown campus.
The two-hour Transgender 101 session, open to all Tulane faculty and staff members as well as students, will be offered again on Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. and Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. For information, contact Tremmel.
