Trans Students at Stanford Feel ‘Confused and Abandoned’ Two Years After Discussion Group Shut Down
“Are our lives not hard enough that we can have this one moment of solace and just come together?”
The school shut down a discussion group. So what? What is preventing these students from continuing it on their own. Why does it have to be school sponsored?
The College Fix reports:
Stanford trans students still ‘confused and abandoned’ two years after discussion group shut down
Two years after the Stanford University transgender student discussion group “Trans&” was cancelled, some students and alumni remain feeling “confused and abandoned.”
According to The Stanford Daily, the university’s Queer Student Resources cancelled Trans& — the weekly meetings of which usually “consisted of a catered meal and guided discussion about trans issues” — due to low attendance and budget concerns.
In a statement, QSR said it remained a place “where all students, including students of all genders and sexualities, can flourish,” and that it’s making programming “more intersectional and intentionally welcoming of the widest range of identities, communities, and perspectives within shared spaces.”
Former Trans& participant and staff member “Alex,” who uses plural pronouns, contested the claim of low attendance, saying “they” “saw a lot of people come” who were engaged in “great conversations.”
Alex said the group was necessary because trans individuals “across the board, have a harder time with everything.”
Alex claimed trans individuals are “more disabled,” “more unemployed,” “less educated,” and “have a lot more health issues than cis people on average.” “They” asked “Are our lives not hard enough that we can have this one moment of solace and just come together?”
Alex further expressed concern that a cisgender staff member had replaced “them” in the group after “they” went on an academic leave.
Grad student Ev Nichols, who according to her/their website writes the “Queer Science Lab” newsletter and works “to bring the ‘hidden curriculum’ of how to succeed” into her/their teaching, said before Trans& she/they “felt isolated and lacked access to queer or trans community.”
Going to Trans& meetings made Nichols (pictured) not “feel super hyper-vigilant about how [she’s/they’re] being perceived by other people” on campus, she/they added.
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Comments
They wanted a free lunch.
Agreed they want the snacks!
“Stanford trans students still ‘confused”
FIFY
Frankly, it would be more newsworthy to find trans students who are NOT perpetually confused.
“Confused” – oh the irony!
Beat me to it.
Oh ya, back when I was a starving college student I would have attended a trans discussion group just for the free meal. No doubt. A meal and a comedy show.