Where Are Transgender Miami University Students Supposed to Live?

Posted by Evan Rodd on Mar 19, 2012 in News | 12 comments

Welcome to Miami!

Unfortunately, there’s not always a simple answer. Kaeden Kass, a transgender male student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, recently applied for a job as a resident assistant. Kass was offered a job, but on the condition that he lives with female roommates because his birth certificate lists his gender as female.

Early in the application process, Kass said that he did not want to be placed in a female dorm, and did not think his situation would present a problem.

According to the university’s Statement of Non-Discrimination, “Miami University is committed to providing equal opportunity and an educational and work environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, military status, or veteran status.”

“I was very clear with Residence Life from the start that if they wanted to put me in a sex-segregated corridor it would need to be a male one because living in a female corridor would not be acceptable for me and they assured me this was fine,” Kass said.

After beginning the application process, Kass was informed by the Dean of Students, Susan Mosley-Howard, that he would be housed based on his legal sex.

“I was told that they have to go by my legal records and they kept informing me repeatedly that legally I’m a female,” Kass said. “I felt that I was treated like a delusional person who doesn’t know I’m trans and who is not aware of the complexities of my situation. It felt condescending.”

Kass said he has filed an official charge of discrimination with the Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity against Mosley-Howard as well as against Robin Parker, general counsel in the Office of the President and against Jerry Olsen, director of the Office of Residence Life.

Demere Woolway, Miami’s coordinator of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning (GLBTQ) Services, was involved in the talks about Kass’ case. She said she is displeased the university has been unable to accommodate Kass thus far.

“I think it’s really unfortunate that we weren’t able to find a housing situation that was what was appropriate for this student,” Woolway said. “I personally feel that we should be able to house people on the basis of their gender identity and not just their sex.”

Kass has been informed that an outside investigation could continue until May.

I never lived in a dorm, but I feel like this is one of those cases where the decision should lie with the students, not school officials. What if fellow dorm-dwellers don’t think twice about the “legal gender” of their RA? Is that any of their business?

I’ve always thought of college as a place to expand your horizons. It’s hard enough being transgender in high school, right?

(via The Miami Student)

http://www.facebook.com/avehooper Avery L. Hooper

why do some idiot ppl think that’s it’s there place to tell another person what there gender is. It’s none of nobody else’s business what genitals another person has under there clothes. …whatever happened to respect & privacy?
Eric Holtel

I think that some lesser informed individuals on the subject may suspect that it may be just a ploy to be housed with a people of the opposite sex. Viewers of this page know this is a ridiculous assumption. This sort of argument was the same brought up over and over again (i.e. gays in scouts, non-heterosexual chaperons, etc.). People that have no clue about diversity, judging harshly those who will have contact with their children.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Erica-Cook/100000628613592 Erica Cook

Just like in the past with gays this is an attempt to keep people they thing are undesirable out of positions of athority. In this case keeping them out of school.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000732733352 Christian Wells

I’m sorry, but it’s not all about the transgender student. I also totally understand the school’s point of having to go by a person’s legal gender. If it’s so important to you to be considered the opposite sex, then you should take care of the legal aspects of your situation and have your “gender status” legally revised. I know everyone wants to make this a case of the “poor, victimized trans person”, but there’s a LOT more to it than that.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=735035983 Amanda Lee-Pearl Moore

I can’t help to agree with this. I mean this person is still in the eyes of the law and government female. The school can’t just change their rules suddenly for one person, because if you bend the rules for one person, you have the bend the rules for everyone.

http://www.facebook.com/marianne.ibbotson Marianne Ibbotson

Except it wouldn’t actually be particularly hard to officially amend the rule with “If a student has been diagnosed by a gender specialist with gender dysphoria and has transitioned, then that student may stay in accommodation appropriate to their presented gender”, would it? Unless there’s some kind of state *law* keeping the dorms segregated strictly on legal sex.
http://profile.yahoo.com/DWDABNVIR6Z2YPITJFBPOU5SEY Nayeli

The problem is the university DOES already have rules that protect him as a transgender man. The non-discrimination policy of Miami says they will respect and not discriminate based on a person’s gender identity – which they clearly are discriminating. the real issue is that the university is not living up to its own policies.

http://twitter.com/BlueScorpioMoon Jennifer

I get what you’re saying, but at the same time, maybe this needs to be the wake-up call that makes this university realize that they need to revise their rules. I would imagine that it’s not all that easy to get one’s gender status legally changed, also. It’s not “poor victimized trans person” it’s a system that simply ignores trans people because it doesn’t know what box to shove them into.
Joe Ellison

Taking care of the legal aspects of the situation is far more complex than you think. A legal name change is easy to get. Depending on where the trans* individual was born, it may not be possible to change either the name or gender on the birth certificate. Each state has different rules regarding amending or changing a birth certificate. Some simply won’t do it at all, while some will change name but not gender, even if an individual has transitioned socially, hormonally, and surgically (these latter two being of not fully necessary to transition per se). One can get state ID (drivers license, non-driver ID) and a US Passport that recognizes the new gender based on a variety of criteria that don’t include having changed gender on the birth certificate. If the individual has transitioned socially to the point of living full-time as the opposite gender, they are that gender, and should be housed with that gender regardless of specific hormonal, surgical, or birth certificate status. It really is that simple. This, of course, is why setting up gender-neutral housing is of such critical importance on college campuses. A trans* person could be an RA in such housing without reference to archaic rules regarding birth certificate status.

It may not be “all about” the transgender student in terms of other people’s opinions, but if there is a binding non-discrimination clause, then it is, in fact, all about that student when it comes to providing accommodations.
Anonymous

As a trans gender student I would worry about my safety, given things like college web-cam thing.

College dorms are crazy. I think of a scenario where he, the transgender person goes to a party with the boys in the dorm theres a rumor, that he is a she they are all drunk and wasted acting stupid like college students often do, the other males want to find out if the rumor is true, I think you can figure out the rest.

I love my trans people. But I worry about his safety in an all male dorm. That said it would be awkward to be the only male in a female dorm. Maybe the happy medium is to have some type of co-ed or alternative dorm. Society does need to deal with issues like this because they are becoming more common, and trans- gender people are , humans initialed to the same rights as not trans gender people.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Jeff/100001501712007 Mike Jeff

She’s going to feel reel left out on hard cock night in the boys dorm.
Anonymous

I am transsexual woman and I find myself disagreeing with this individuals accusation of discrimination. I understand the complexities that are involved in maneuvering through the mine field of legal obligations and hurdles to change all necessary documentation pertaining to gender. However, simply because it is a pain and is very involved that does not mean that an individual should just be able to forget about it as if it did not exist.

In this instance we are addressing the situation of living quarters within a dormitory setting. I feel for the transgender individual and his plight. However, his plight does not override the right of the other males in the dorm. Often situations in dorms exist that involve individuals who may be in various stages of undress. These individuals have the right to demand that their area be restricted to those of their matching biological body. This is not discrimination but a personal right of all the male members in the dorm. Thus if the transgender individual has completed the necessary physical surgeries to transition his biological female body to that of a male then he should be allowed to live in the men’s dorm.However, if he has not obtained the necessary biological body transitions it may seem discriminatory but he should be required to reside in the female dorm. The real wrench in this story is the fact that the school has attempted to make accommodations by providing a living suit in the girls dorm but the transgender believes his rights should trump everyone else’s and he should be allowed to live with the men. The same stipulations would exist if the genders were turned around.

There are certain areas the one should be allowed to access if they simply present and identify as the corresponding gender such as the bathroom. The use of stalls ensures the individual a more stringent level pf privacy. However, for shower or locker room access one should be required to have achieved the necessary transition stage where their physical body matches the other individuals using those facilities.

This theory may irritated and even anger many individuals who fall under the expansive umbrella term transgender. However, I thought hard on the situation and I believe in many circumstances one must ensure that all individuals rights be considered not just the transgender individual. When physical body differences exist pertaining to genitalia combine with locations involving group settings such as showers, locker rooms, and living spaces certain criteria must exist to protect the rights of the other individuals as well.

The easiest way to avoid this situation is to have co-ed dorms. However, from what I have read I would guess to say that then the respective male and female shower areas would become the chosen problem.

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