Officials
of
colleges
and
universities
in
the
D.C.
metro
region
were
unanimous
in
their
support
of
freedom
from
harassment
for
transgender
students,
but
only
American
University
and
Gallaudet
University
have
specific
policies
in
place
to
protect
transgender
students
from
discrimination.
Students
and
staff
at
the
University
of
the
District
of
Columbia
are
covered
under
D.C.’s
Human
Rights
Law,
which
includes
a
prohibition
on
discrimination
by
reason
of
personal
appearance.
The
University
of
Maryland
is
in
the
final
stages
of
approving
an
amended
code
that
would
include
protection
against
discrimination
for
transgender
people.
The
U.Md.
Senate
in
March
voted
unanimously
to
amend
the
university’s
Human
Relations
Code
to
provide
protections
for
transgender
and
transsexual
people.
University
President
Dan
Mote
signed
the
amended
code.
The
matter
awaits
consideration
by
the
Board
of
Regents
and
State
Attorney
General
J.
Joseph
Curran.
“The
transgender
students
who
I
work
with
are
very
happy
about
this.
Of
course
they
wish
it
was
already
in
place,
but
they’re
very
pleased
with
the
way
it
was
handled
and
they
look
forward
to
its
implementation,”
said
Luke
Jensen,
director
of
UMD’s
Office
of
Lesbian,
Gay,
Bisexual
&
Transgender
Equity.
The
Transgender
Law
&
Policy
Institute
Web
site
lists
George
Washington
University
as
having
indicated
in
job
postings
that
it
doesn’t
discriminate
on
the
basis
of
gender
identity.
Bob
Ludwig,
interim
director
of
media
relations
at
G.W.,
said
that
transgender
people
are
protected
under
D.C.’s
Human
Rights
Law.
But
Wanda
Alston,
special
assistant
to
Mayor
Anthony
Williams
for
gay,
lesbian,
bisexual
and
transgender
affairs,
said
the
protection
only
goes
so
far.
Alston
said
the
Human
Rights
Law
extends
protection
to
UDC
students
and
staff
because
the
school
is
public.
She
said
that
students
of
private
district
colleges
are
protected
within
the
Human
Rights
Law
to
an
extent,
but
in
her
view
the
college
would
have
a
legal
advantage
in
a
civil
suit
filed
by
a
transgender
person.
Mara
Keisling
,
executive
director
of
the
National
Center
for
Transgender
Equality,
said
that
forms
of
discrimination
against
transgendered
students
include
being
called
by
the
wrong
pronouns,
housed
in
inappropriate
dorms,
and
forced
to
use
the
wrong
bathrooms,
though
it
is
unclear
which
of
these
instances
might
actually
violate
trans-friendly
policies.
Graduate
students
can
lose
their
teaching
assistantships.
Shannon
Minter
of
the
National
Center
for
Lesbian
Rights
said
that
if
the
on-campus
harassment
isn’t
stopped,
the
transgender
student
could
effectively
be
forced
to
leave.
“It’s
very
painful
for
transgender
people
to
not
be
acknowledged
and
respected
in
their
new
gender.
It’s
such
a
tremendous
personal
issue,”
Minter
said.
“It’s
incredibly
important
for
educational
institutions
to
eliminate
trans-phobia
within
the
educational
environment,”
agreed
Chris
Daley,
co-founder
of
the
Transgender
Law
Center.
“The
only
way
students
can
fully
access
educational
opportunities
is
if
they’re
able
to
do
so
in
a
non-discriminatory
environment.”
Georgetown
University
has
anti-discrimination
protection
for
employees
and
applicants
on
the
basis
of
personal
appearance,
according
to
Laura
Cavender,
director
of
media
relations
for
the
university.
She
said
Georgetown
maintains
a
student
conduct
system
that
forbids
intimidating
or
hostile
behavior
toward
any
student.
Cavender
said
disciplinary
action
would
be
taken
in
the
event
of
harassment
against
a
transgender
student,
but
she
didn’t
know
what
legal
recourse
a
transgender
student
would
have
if
an
incident
occurred.
 |
| Dylan
Vade
of
the
Transgender
Law
Center
said
recent
rulings
by
courts
show
that
sexual
discrimination
policies
cover
transgender
people. |
Everett
Eberhardt,
director
of
affirmative
action
and
minority
and
legal
affairs
at
the
Northern
Virginia
Community
College,
said
that
there
is
no
policy
protecting
transgender
people
at
the
college,
but
that
he
hopes
college
administrators
would
be
sympathetic
to
the
plight
of
transgender
students
in
the
event
that
harassment
occurred.
“Harassment
is
harassment.
We
don’t
tolerate
harassment
of
anyone.
I
like
to
think
that
we’re
enlightened
people
here,”
he
said.
Eberhardt,
who
is
an
attorney,
said
that
if
a
lawsuit
was
brought
against
the
college,
that
the
college
would
argue
there
is
no
law
that
precludes
discrimination.
“We
would
try
to
do
the
right
thing
and
also
to
protect
the
institution,”
he
said.
Co-Director
Dylan
Vade
of
the
Transgender
Law
Center
said
there
is
hope
for
transgender
students.
Vade
cited
a
case
where
a
Massachusetts
Superior
Court
ruled
in
favor
of
a
transgender
middle
school
student,
who
had
been
forced
by
the
principal
to
check
in
every
day
to
see
that
she
was
wearing
clothing
consistent
with
his
interpretation
of
her
gender.
“More
and
more
courts
are
saying
that
sex
discrimination
covers
transgender
people,”
Vade
said.
George
Mason
University
has
a
hate
and
bias
incident
reporting
procedure,
and
students,
faculty,
staff
and
campus
police
are
encouraged
to
undergo
safe
zone
training,
which
focuses
on
transgender
issues.
Gender
identity
is
not
included
in
the
school’s
non-discrimination
code,
said
Ric
Chollar,
assistant
director
for
diversity
program
and
services.
George
Mason
is
a
public
university
in
northern
Virginia.
“We’re
a
place
where
transgender
people
are
out
to
us
and
report
feeling
very
unsafe,”
Chollar
said.
Fain
Rutherford
of
Virginia
Polytechnic
Institute
said
she
is
unsure
the
position
the
school
might
take
if
sued
by
a
transgendered
student,
but
added,
“We’d
certainly
take
seriously
the
complaint
of
anyone
who’s
a
victim
of
discrimination.”
Virginia
Tech
removed
sexual
orientation
as
a
protected
class
in
March,
choosing
to
align
itself
with
Virginia
Attorney
General
Jerry
Kilgore’s
position
on
anti-discrimination
policies.
Virginia
Tech
reversed
that
decision
in
April
after
large
contributors
to
the
university
threatened
to
withhold
funds.
Shelly
Dutton,
executive
assistant
to
the
president
of
Marymount
University
in
Arlington,
said
transgender
protection
would
be
included
under
the
category
of
“other
protected
classes.”
When
asked
by
what
this
meant,
she
said
the
university
would
comply
with
existing
local,
state
and
...
