It Gets Better...Psyche!

So upon reading Salama's article on the new transgender focused legislation being passed in California, the first response I had was "that's some fucked up shit". After simmering down and returning my brain back to the present and out of Brooklyn, East Flatbush mode I couldn't help but still feel the sting of utter shock. Many people are surprised that someone could feel this way considering the location of our campus and contemporary style of thought USC seeks to teach, others were surprised that someone on the Daily Trojan condoned and thought it permissible to have someone spread such a hateful opinion publicly, I was surprised no one had noticed this before.

I feel like one of the largest problems I've had with USC (and don't get me wrong I love it here, New York is 45 degrees and pouring right now) is that I feel like it's a campus too caught up on appearances and not enough on authenticity. Although we've implemented an amazing visions and voices program to bring culture and arts to the students and faculty of USC, Roski is one of the most underfunded schools within the university (legit, it's two ancient buildings and the flags along the pathway of it say Viterbi on them). Though we have our good neighbors and friends community service program set up to serve the children of our surrounding mostly Hispanic immigrant community, they still felt the need to pick up myself and eleven of my other Posse members to bring more diversity to the campus because in reality the only people on this campus from the surrounding neighborhood are the kids they're serving and the workers they have cleaning up after the people that walk by them like they don't exist. And despite the fact that we may be known as one of the most accepting LGBT campuses in the nation, we still foster an environment where people feel so disconnected to others and find it so impossible to relate their struggles to their peers that a student who is most likely of a foreign background themselves can't see the equal level of importance LGBT issues hold to that of immigration.

In reality we can get all fire and brimmstone over the injustice of comments and opinions such as these and we really REALLY should but like, what after? Sweep it under the rug and remind everyone of that time we got upset over something someone said to prove that we care about our community while completely forgetting that it's not about yelling at someone when they're wrong but educating them to be right as an institution of learning should? I certainly hope not but hey, it gets better, right?

--Jheanelle Garriques

Transphobia in the Daily Trojan

The argument that society is unable to multitask and shouldn’t address certain issues because we have “larger problems to worry about” is a tired one, especially when it comes to human rights. Rights are always a pressing matter and protecting them should always be a priority, because unfortunately our world is one in which human rights are not ensured for everyone. And in a society in which transgender people are subject to fierce transphobia, it’s especially important to have a legal basis for the recognition and protection of their rights.

Engie Salama takes on the subject of trans rights in her op-ed piece, arguing that they should not be protected by law because not everyone is accepting of transgender. At one point, she even says, “We should instead be more accepting of the people who aren’t as comfortable with working with people who identify as transgender.” Her argument boils down to the cry of the privileged: “Not everybody is willing to accept the classification,” therefore protections for transgender rights should not be implemented—because laws protecting gender identity force non-trans people to confront the fact that trans people exist and to at least tolerate them, even if it makes them uncomfortable. Oh, no! How horrible, that we would treat marginalized groups as equals! Won’t somebody think of the poor cisgender majority?

I wonder whether Salama would argue with the necessity of legislation protecting the rights of other minorities and disenfranchised groups. Are laws prohibiting discrimination against, for example, African Americans and women unnecessary? The civil rights and feminist movements don’t think so. And what about people with non-heterosexual orientations? Would she agree that LGB individuals, too, do not need legal protection? That we should maintain the homophobic discourse in this country, simply because acceptance makes people uncomfortable? Meanwhile, the Prop 8 case drags on and gay kids are killing themselves.

Salama’s argument reeks of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell mentality—that because people are uncomfortable and don’t want to face their own prejudices, instead of talking about this we should pretend there is no problem at all. But that’s not how problems are solved. Problems are solved only when they are actually confronted, and pandering to a transphobic population isn’t going to end any kind of discrimination. Therefore, legal protections are necessary, since that is one avenue by which change really does happen.

I could go on and list more of my problems with this piece, but I will end with the admission that Salama actually does make a valid point towards the end of it: Some of the discrimination transgender people face may be due in part to intersectional issues, such as race and class. However, she fails to realize that transgender is in and of itself a target of discrimination—and that she herself is contributing to this problem.

Bigotry Exposed in the Daily Trojan

I believe I was not the only one who was appalled at the publication of the Daily Trojan yesterday.

[Image Description: The banner at the top of the Daily Trojan's website: dailytrojan.com]

In the Opinion page, there was a piece expressing a writer's thoughts on recent passage of two new Californian anti-discrimination bills: Gender Nondiscrimination Act (AB 887) and Vital Statistics Modernization Act (AB 433). AB 887 amends an existing anti-discrimination employment law, which already stated that employees are not to be discriminated for their "gender identity", to clear up confusion in regards to transgender people. So now, with the new amendment, the law states that employees cannot be discriminated against for both their "gender identity" and "gender expression". And AB 433 is a law that expedites the process for transgender individuals to petition to change the gender as stated on their birth certificates, as it is a difficult and confusing process already.

The shocking piece can be read on the DT''s website here. While there are a lot of things that can be refuted about the piece, the presentation of cissexism and transphobia by the Daily Trojan is disgusting. Although the article was only an opinion piece and the author is entitled to their expression, the Daily Trojan must remain a medium of intellectual discussion and cannot allow such ignorant and hurtful statements be made. The privileged author argued for the consideration of the discomfort of that certain individuals have in dealing with transgender people, but failed to discuss the vast amount of discrimination and suffering transgender people have and continue to experience in the work and public spheres. This blatant lack of understanding and compassion on the part of the author and Daily Trojan for transgender community, which includes those in the Trojan family, is what I found despicable. The author went so far as to suggest that our representatives should focus on "fix[ing] our broken budget" instead of passing such anti-discrimination laws that the author feels are so trivial. Honestly, my incredulousness almost lead to contemplate that the piece might have been meant to be satirical. But unfortunately, it is not.

However, there is a silver lining. In response to the article, many Trojans have expressed their opposition to the piece. This can be found in the comment section to the article (link again). I found one specific comment to be relevant, and it came from a Trojan alum. Here is the comment (directly drawn from the comment section):

I am a Trojan alum (Class of 2010). My partner Annika, who is also a Trojan alum (Class of 2009), who is transgender and blogs about trans issues, is writing a formal response. I currently work as a Legal Intern at the Transgender Law Center, though this comment is being written to represent only my views.

It is very saddening to me to see TLC’s work being used to perversely justify discrimination. Trans people experience such high rates of socioeconomic marginalization precisely because of pervasive, frequently legally sanctioned discrimination in educational and work settings. Every day, trans people are fired from jobs for simply not living a lie or harassed into dropping out of school which creates a cycle of poverty. People of color experience even further marginalization due to the combination of racism and transphobia. Trans people, especially trans women, also experience one of the highest rates of murder in the world. Every single day trans people are murdered just for being trans. These bills send a message that hate and violence against trans people are not acceptable and rejected by the state of California. The author thinks that the college campus is a bubble, but she doesn’t understand the bubble she lives and the privilege that she has that allows her to be so dismissive of the lives of trans people, especially the majority who do not live in LA or SF.

The author of this piece suggests that we should instead have sympathy for people who “aren’t as comfortable” treating trans people like any other human being. It is disappointing that she can’t see how this argument has been made over and over again against people due to their race, gender, political beliefs, and religion. Throughout Europe (and sometimes in the US), similar arguments are made to prevent Muslim women from being able to wear hijabs or niqabs in schools/workplaces/government buildings/public streets. And for the same reason, these arguments are wrong. Bigots of any sort should not be coddled and protected in their ignorance and hatred. (The funny thing is that two years ago I wrote angry comments on a similar DT piece that advocated for a ban on niqabs.)

It’s really a shame that this article was published the week before the Transgender Day of Remembrance. I hope that the author and others who feel similarly that trans people and their lives are unimportant and not worth protecting do some reflecting, reading (starting here: http://www.endtransdiscrimination.org/PDFs/NTDS_Exec_Summary.pdf), and maybe speak to an actual trans person (including many members of the Trojan family) to learn about their lives and how we all have shared humanity.

(I bolded the last line myself, for emphasis.)

Also, there has been quite a letter response from the Trojan community, and their inspiring letters to the editor can be read here.

Understanding and compassion should be what we strive for. Because as we have learned countless times within this class, gender and sexuality are complex, but we must always find solidarity as a species in our humanity and compassion for each other. Through this class, we have become aware of the bigotry and misunderstanding experienced by many people who are marginalized by the gender binary system. So we must always be cognizant of our privilege and vigilant when discrimination strikes, especially in our own Trojan family. And we must always be considerate of others. After all, it's the sixth trait of a Trojan.