This is a first, at least in my experience – not only have I found a gender neutral bathroom but it’s also sponsored! I’m at the Center for Family Life Education’s annual Sex Ed Conference, and attendees have the option of bucking the gender binary and using the gender neutral restroom sponsored by Pee in Peace. Pee in Peace is an app that helps users locate gender neutral bathrooms, although it unfortunately is only for Ithaca, NY. I’m hoping that more gender neutral bathrooms will start popping up – and maybe with enough attention, Pee in Peace will expand to nationwide. Any thoughts on sponsoring bathrooms? Continue Reading →
Transgender
Recent posts
Trans Info For Medical Providers
I have several friends who are medical professionals, as well as a few friends who work as patient instructors. They teach nursing, nurse practitioner, and medical students how to give medical exams by playing the role of a patient. For three of my friends this means that they may get multiple pelvic exams in one evening so that the students learn how to do an exam as well as how to act. Bedside manner is important, after all. Running across information on a new site called TransLine was interesting, and I sent a link to several of my medical professional friends. Continue Reading →
How Do You Describe Your Gender Identity?
Gender identity is always interesting to me, especially as I don’t view the options as only “male” or “female.” While I do appear female, I like to think of my own gender identity as a bit more fluid. So when I saw some You Tube videos that talked about gender identity, I had even more food for thought. Seeing how different individuals identify gives me a chance to actively reflect on how I see my own gender identity – and how it’s not always male or female. The video I linked to shows 18 Turkish trans activists. Continue Reading →
Voting While Trans
According to a study from UCLA, up to 25,000 transpeople could lose their right to vote this year due to stricter voter ID laws. Find a discussion of the issue and links to resources here. Basically, be informed about the voting rights in your state, keep records, and take advantage of resources compiled by activists and advocates. Follow us on Twitter @mysexprofessor. Follow Jeana, the author of this post, @foxyfolklorist. Continue Reading →
Hijra In India
What if you were born male, but identified as female? For many people, that would make their gender female (and I personally agree). In India, they have a “third gender” of people called hijra. As with transgender individuals in just about any country, hijra face discrimination and abuse. However, there seems to be more and more articles demanding support and equality, and there was even recently a Hijra Habba (festival). Continue Reading →
Transgender People Banned From Flying In Canada
Recent Canadian regulations specify that an air carrier may not transport a passenger who “does not appear to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents.” Due to Canadian restrictions on who can change the “sex” designation on their passport, many transpeople are thus excluded from the airline guidelines. This is outright discriminatory and should be addressed immediately. Follow us on Twitter @mysexprofessor. Follow Jeana, the author of this post, @foxyfolklorist. Continue Reading →
Beautiful Women (Who Were Born Male-Bodied)
This list of 10 gorgeous women (who were born male) helps show how subjective gender is. While the models do conform to normative beauty standards, the pictures are also thought-provoking since they depict people who are beautiful and confident – regardless of which biological sex one might assign to them. Follow us on Twitter @mysexprofessor. Follow Jeana, the author of this post, @foxyfolklorist. Continue Reading →
Another View Of Privilege
Privilege is a concept that affects a lot of people, and yet it’s really hard to talk about. The basic idea behind privilege is that someone lives within conditions that benefit them, and so they don’t really have to think about what it’s like to not have those benefits. Common examples include white privilege (white people don’t encounter the effects of racism very often, so they don’t tend to think in those terms) and male privilege (men don’t know what it’s like to be sexually harassed the way so many women are, so they often dismiss women’s claims of harassment as trivial). One of the reasons this is a difficult concept for many is that it’s hard to measure. If you’ve not had the same experiences as someone else, how do you compare them? Continue Reading →
Trans Student Suspended… For Using Bathroom
A trans girl was suspended for using a bathroom not assigned to her in a Colorado high school, according to this news report. Bathroom use remains a pressing issue for many transpeople, and even people who do not identify as trans but flout gender norms in some visible way can be punished by normative-minded folks. Having more unisex bathrooms is thus an important step in greater gender equality and safety for transpeople and allies. Follow us on Twitter @mysexprofessor. Follow Jeana, the author of this post, @foxyfolklorist. Continue Reading →
Transgender Professor Denied Tenure
After completing her transition, a transgender professor was denied tenure and terminated. The professor also experienced harassment specific to her situation: she was told that she could only use one bathroom on the campus, a restriction that was placed on no other faculty member. After her tenure review, the professor was told that the dean and vice president of academic affairs found her “lifestyle” inappropriate, so she was going to be made to leave. There are no transgender anti-discrimination laws in the state of Oklahoma, nor are there specific laws about hate crimes based on gender or sexuality. Thus, there may not be any recourse for the professor, even though the president of academic affairs has openly stated that the professor’s lifestyle “offends his Baptist beliefs.” Continue Reading →