Click
here to visit the Trans@MIT
web page
(created March of 2005)
Trans Issues
Group forms at MIT
In November of 2004,
a group of staff, faculty, and students (trans people and allies)
formed the Trans Issues Group to identify and explore the areas
of MIT policy and community life where trans concerns may be
better addressed, and advocate for improvements as needed in
those areas.
If you are interested
in being a part of the Trans Issues group, or would like to
know more about what we are doing, please
email us. Your confidentiality will be protected.
Find out more...
Gender Identity & MIT
History, Policies, & Publications |
Related MIT Resources
Contact People, Support, &
Information |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Gender Identity Primer, Bathrooms, When this affects
you |
Building a trans community at MIT
Meet and interact with other trans folks from around
campus. |
Information & Resources Beyond MIT
Organizations, Publications, & Useful
Links |
Related Efforts & Information
News items, Efforts at other schools, &
more. | |
Read
the flyer sent to MIT faculty &
staff about
the addition of
"gender identity" to MIT's
Nondiscrimination policy.
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| Gender Identity & MIT |
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| Related MIT Resources |
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Contact People
- Trans Issues Group
http://web.mit.edu/trans
trans-info@mit.edu
The Trans Issues Group is a group of MIT staff, faculty,
and students (trans people and allies) who are working
to explore and assess the areas of MIT policy and
community life where trans concerns may be better
addressed. The Group also advocates for improvements
as needed in those areas.
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Resources for Support
- lbgt@mit: x3-6777
- Ombuds Office: x3-5921
- MIT Medical Center, Mental Health Department: x3-2916
- (for students) Counseling & Support Services:
x3-4861
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Information & Resolution
- lbgt@mit: x3-6777
- Ombuds Office: x3-5921
- (for employees) Human Resources: x3-4251
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| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) |
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| If you have additional
questions, please email lbgt@mit.edu.
- What is meant by "gender identity"?
- How or when does this affect me?
- What does this mean about who uses which
bathrooms?
- Why did MIT make this change?
- Where can I learn more?
| What is
meant by "gender identity"?
. . . back to FAQ . . . | . . . back to
top . . . |
We'll answer this in two parts:
First, some useful terms, then their integration.
USEFUL
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
- Sex
- The common, but imperfect, sorting of people as
male or female, usually based on anatomy and/or
chromosomes.
Conforming examples: males,
females
Non-conforming examples: intersexed
people, people with varying chromosomal makeup
(XX-males, XY-females, XXY-people), "hermaphrodites"
- Gender
- The collection of traits, behaviors, and
characteristics that are culturally associated with
maleness or femaleness. Gender traits considered
masculine or feminine can differ from culture to
culure or in different historical periods.
Conforming examples: sports as masculine,
nurturing as feminine, blue as a boy’s color, pink as
a girl’s color
Non-conforming examples:
women’s rap music, men’s high fashion
- Gender Identity
- A person’s internal self-awareness of being either
male or female, masculine or feminine, or something
in-between.
- Gender Expression
- The external behaviors and characteristics(i.e.
dress, mannerisms, social interactions, speech
patterns, etc.) that a person displays in order to
indicate their gender identity.
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INTEGRATING THE TERMS
Everyone has a gender identity AND a gender
expression.
Most people experience their gender
identity as conforming to their physical sex.
That is, most people who are born with female bodies
also have a female gender identity (i.e. an internal
sense that "I am a woman"), and most people who are born
with male bodies have a male gender identity (i.e. an
internal sense that "I am a man").
Some individuals experience their gender identity as
not conforming to their physical sex (i.e. a person who
is born female but does not have the internal sense that
they are a woman, or a person who is born male who does
not have the internal sense that they are a man). These
individuals are sometimes referred to as "transgender"
people. Such people’s gender expression
may vary from traditional expectations of sex and gender
in order to effectively indicate their gender identity.
Individuals with nontraditional gender identities may:
- change their use of pronouns (i.e. from "she" to
"he" or vice-versa)
- change their physical appearance and/or manner of
dress
- legally change their name and/or sex designation
- engage in a medical sex reassignment process
All people can have varying gender expressions
that may or may not conform to societal expectations of
gender or sex. A non-conforming gender expression can be
as simple as behaving in ways that run counter to
traditional beliefs about gender. It can include acting,
speaking, or dressing in ways that don’t fit the
conventional practices of gender in the prevailing
culture, or that don’t fit the accepted manners of
presenting gender in certain work or social situations.
| |
| How or
when does this affect me?
.
. . back to FAQ . . . | . . . back to top . .
. |
- As a supervisor or advisor...
- You have developed a good relationship with someone you
advise or supervise. They confide in you that they are
contemplating or have already undergone sex-reassignment,
and ask how this may affect their career. You worry how it
might affect the social dynamics of your lab or department.
What do you do?
- As an someone hoping for career advancement...
- Your lab or department has men and women among the
senior faculty, and sex discrimination does not appear to be
an issue. However, all the senior men and women alike appear
to display a machismo you do not wish to emulate. You fear
failing to conform will negatively affect your success in
the lab or department. What can you do?
- As someone who isn’t comfortable with all this...
- Because of this change in policy, someone you work with
on a regular basis is now expressing a non-traditional
gender identity. You find yourself uncomfortable interacting
with this person. What can you do?
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| What does
this mean about who uses which bathrooms?
. . . back to FAQ . .
. | . . . back to top . . . |
Actually, nothing really changes as far as
bathroom usage. This addition to the nondiscrimination
policy was not to "fix" anything that was "broken." MIT has
a strong track-record in supporting its community members -
conforming gender identities and non-conforming gender
identities alike. If your gender identity is conforming and
has not changed, there is no reason for your bathroom choice
to change. If your gender identity does not conform to your
physical sex, then MIT accepts its responsibility to work
with you and your co-workers to resolve any bathroom usage
issues in a manner respectful to all parties involved.
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| Building a trans community at MIT |
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I resolved to write
this
piece with the hope that I can galvanize faculty who are
transgender (you are out there, I am sure) to enter into a kind
of mutually supportive community, even if "outness" is not a
possibility.
- Professor Emeritus, John Southard A group of
MIT community members who identify as transgender are forming a
group. If you are interested in participating, please contact John
Southard, Professor Emeritus, at 508-339-0615 or southardjb@aol.com.
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| Information & Resources Beyond MIT |
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| Related Efforts & Information |
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Prepared by Brian Rubineau, with assistance
from Ricky Gresh, Travis Wright, Emily Meghan Morrow Howe, John Southard,
and Phillip Lima. |
