Bridging institutional gaps: Utilizing transgender-affirmative therapy with college students

1. Bridging institutional gaps: Utilizing transgender-affirmative therapy with college students University of Minnesota Presenters: Stephanie Budge – University Counseling & Consulting Services Shawyn Lee – GLBTA Programs Office Vanessa Monahan-Rial – GLBTA Programs Office

2. HOW DO WE TRADITIONALLY UNDERSTAND GENDER & SEXUALITY? • American society traditionally subscribes to the theory of Gender Essentialism • “Gender” can be used interchangeably with “Sex” • Why? Because both are rooted in nature and are essentially, naturally, and biologically linked • Rooted in binaries of “male” and “female” • Sex, gender and sexual orientation are three separate components of our gender and sexual identities

3. SEX GENDER Body / Biology Culture SEXUAL ORIENTATION Attractions / Relationships

4. SEX: BODY / BIOLOGY • What is Sex? • Category assigned to each of us at birth based on a variety of physical and biological characteristics • Components • Chromosomes • Genitals • Hormones • Reproductive Organs • Secondary Sex Characteristics • Variations • Female • Male • Intersex

5. SEX: BODY / BIOLOGY • What is Intersex? • A general term used for a variety of conditions in which a person is born with a reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not seem to fit the typical definitions of female or male Source: Intersex Society of North America www.isna.org

6. GENDER: CULTURE • What is Gender? • System of meanings and symbols and the rules, privileges and punishments for their use • Components • Gender expression • Gender roles • Gender identity

7. GENDER: CULTURE • What is Gender Expression? • Signals we give to the world that communicate our gender • Feminine or Masculine • What are Gender Roles? • Social expectations based on our assumed or assigned sex • Female or Male • What is Gender Identity? • Internal sense of who you are in terms of gender • Woman or Man

8. GENDER: CULTURE • Performance and Perception • Gender expression, roles and identity intersect in multiple ways to shape all our genders • We are ALL performing our gender • The way we control, express and shape ourselves as gendered individuals • We are ALL perceived as having a gender by others • Based on cues, characteristics and signals we give to the world • Perception is out of our control and not always congruent with performance

9. GENDER: CULTURE • What is Gender Conforming? • An umbrella term for people whose gender identity or gender expression is congruent with the sex assigned to them at birth and whose gender is validated by the dominant culture • Other terms for gender conforming • Traditionally gendered • Gender normative • Cisgendered

10. GENDER: CULTURE • What is Transgender? • An umbrella term for people whose gender identity or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth and/or whose gender is not validated by the dominant culture • Other terms for transgender • Gender non-conforming (GNC) • Gender variant • Gender non-normative

11. GENDER: CULTURE • What is Transgender? • Trans people may or may not choose to (or may or may not be ABLE to) alter their bodies with surgery or hormone therapy • Transitioning is a complex process that varies for each individual • May determine to change name, pronouns, gender markers, clothing, hairstyles, mannerisms, etc.

12. GENDER: CULTURE • Various gender identities include: • Androgynous • Bi- / Multi-gendered • Butch / Femme • Cross Dresser • Drag Queen / Drag King • FTM (female-to-male) • Genderqueer • Not exhaustive list • Intersex • Man / Male • MTF (male-to-female) • Trans-man / -woman • Transexual • Two Spirit • Woman / Female

13. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: ATTRACTIONS / RELATIONSHIPS • What is Sexual Orientation? • It can be understood as the relationships between your sex (body) / gender and others’ sexes (bodies) / genders • Components • Sexual desire • Sexual behavior • Sexual identity

14. SEXUAL ORIENTATION:ATTRACTIONS / RELATIONSHIPS • Sexual desire, behavior and identity intersect in numerous ways to create our sexual orientation • These three are not always congruent • Sexual orientation may be expressed or perceived in a variety of ways • People may identify according to desire, behavior, identity – or any one of these three • People may be perceived to have a certain sexual orientation even though they do not identify in this way

15. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: ATTRACTIONS / RELATIONSHIPS • Various sexual orientations include: • Ambisexual • Asexual • Bisexual • Fluid • Gay • Heterosexual / Straight • Not exhaustive list • Lesbian • Multisexual • Omnisexual / Pansexual • Queer • Same-Gender Loving • Two Spirit

16. SEX GENDER Body / Biology Culture • Chromosomes, genitals, hormones, reproductive organs, secondary sex characteristics • Female, male, intersex • Gender expression, gender roles, gender identity • Gender conforming, transgender • FTM, genderqueer, man, transsexual, woman, etc. • Sexual desire, sexual behavior, sexual identity SEXUAL ORIENTATION Attractions / Relationships • Asexual, bisexual, gay, heterosexual / straight, lesbian, pansexual, Two Spirit, etc.

17. COMPLEXITY OF IDENTITIES • Power of Self-Determination • It’s important to ask how someone identifies and not just assume it corresponds to how you perceive them to be • Unique as our Fingerprints • Identities are complex, not simple “either/or” binaries • Gender and Sexual Fluidity • Aspects of identities may change throughout our lives • Fluidity may be an identity in and of itself

18. Scenario

19. Your counseling center offers many different types of group therapy (e.g., women’s groups, men’s groups, interpersonal process groups, etc.). A representative from the GLBTA center contacts the main person in charge of groups at your center and indicates that several transgender/gender non-conforming students have felt uncomfortable with the way the groups are advertised and also have not felt included in the groups in the years past.

20. Scenario Discussion Questions: • How would your center address the issue? • What strengths exist at your center that would help to facilitate this process? • What challenges would you anticipate occurring at your center? • What might have been done prior to this scenario to prevent the students from feeling alienated from the groups?

21. Bridging the Gap • Scenario • Strengths • UCCS response • Met together in a group to brainstorm how to best support students • Changed the language on flyers • Posted flyers in GLBTA office • Met with GLBTA office to devise a plan to begin a gender-non conforming support group • Areas for Growth • More visibility for transgender and gender non-conforming students within the center (pink triangles, better language on forms) • More trainings for staff to improve multicultural competence • More visibility on commissions, such as the Transgender Commission on campus

22. Bridging the Gap • What has made the process easier • A history of having an intern liaison with the GLBTA office • UCCS and GLBTA office are in the same building • Big 10 Conference in the same city • Perhaps more trans-awareness in Minneapolis than other cities where Big 10 schools are located • Transgender commission • Commitment to inclusivity; motivation within UCCS (e.g., diversity seminar) • GLBTA office personnel trained as therapists (to facilitate the transgender support group) • Equal opportunity statement, list out specific gender identity and gender expression

23. Bridging the Gap • Challenges • Busy schedules (personal, program capacity) • Funding considerations • Staying on the same page to do outreach and generate interest • Transforming culture of centers • Level of understanding/empathy/willingness to challenge viewpoints • Staff uneasiness with competencies—perhaps do not feel comfortable with outreach