Transgender Rights in Higher Education

Resources & Facilities

LGBTQ Centers
The most transgender-friendly colleges and universities have well-supported and highly functional LGBTQ centers that act as resource centers. An example of this is the Stonewall Center at UMass Amherst which produces resources such as guides to local area businesses that are transgender-friendly. Another example, the University of Maine, has the Rainbow Resource Center Library that hosts a large collection of the best literature on LGBTQ issues. It is well organized so that trans students can pick out specific topics and books with ease. In addition to physical resources, many of these schools have a wealth of online resources. Hampshire College, for instance, has a website called PrideNet with over a thousand pages and links to outside sites and information. The website is easily search by region and topic make it user friendly and a convenient tool for trans students.


Housing
As for housing, gender-inclusive housing options are offered in over 120 colleges and universities at the present time. Gender-inclusive means that students can choose or be assigned housing options regardless of gender. In the more transgender-friendly institutions this option is open to both incoming and returning students and in all different types of housing types and locations. However, not all schools are flexible in this regard, with this option often being restricted by many colleges universities either through an interview process or by blocking it for incoming students. Recognizing the importance of housing choice, Ithaca College lets trans students indicate the best living situation for them and then makes every effort to accommodate them in their request.

Bathrooms
Many of the transgender-friendly universities, such as University of Oregon, now have gender-inclusive bathrooms and signs to those bathrooms where only gendered bathrooms are offered. Following the lead of Ithaca College who already has one, UCLA’s LGBTQ Campus Resource Center is working on an app to help trans students quickly identify gender-inclusive bathrooms on campus. Some of the other transgender-friendly colleges who do not have this offer online campus maps with these bathrooms clearly marked.

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