TRANS RIGHTS TERMS TO KNOW

TRANSGENDER

A person whose gender identity and or expression is different from their sex assigned at birth, and societal and cultural expectations around sex

NONBINARY

A person who does not identify with the man or woman gender binary

CISGENDER

A person whose gender identity aligns with their sex assigned at birth

GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE

Social, psychological, behavioral or medical interventions that affirm gender identity. Medical interventions include surgery and hormone treatments.

SEX

“It’s really painful to think about,” Sites said. “So just imagining how the people in those states must feel — I’m lucky that I live in Illinois and not somewhere else. I can’t imagine anything like that passing because we have Chicago, but I’m sure a lot of the people dealing with it right now thought the same thing.”

Stygar also discussed why they think some of these bills are starting to pop up. She believes social media is the root cause because misinformation runs rampant. This is primarily because of sensationalism and anonymity users are afforded across the internet.

“I think social media on behalf of people showing who they really are and then social media’s spread of misinformation has created a big firestorm,” Stygar said. “If I had to blame one thing, I’d blame social media, and I know that’s reducing a complex problem, but I think people feel anonymous, and they can be really nasty when they feel anonymous.”

Laurie Rice, a political science professor, said she believes the recent surge in anti-trans legislation is due to the rapid gain of rights within the LGBTQ community over the last 20 years. She also cited the shifting opinions of the U.S.

The different biological and physiological characteristics of males and females, such as reproductive organs, chromosomes, hormones, etc.

GENDER

The socially constructed characteristics of women and men —such as norms, roles and relationships of and between groups of women and men.

FTM

Female at birth to male

MTF

Male at birth to female

Supreme Court.

“We’ve seen a pretty significant social change and change in public opinion in a relatively short period of public opinion. And now we see a movement that is reactionary,” Rice said.

Sites said that seeing this movement sprout up has been disappointing due to his belief that progress was being made.

“It’s taken a huge toll on my mental health,” Sites said. “It seemed like we were going forward, you know? Everything seemed like it was getting better, it was being talked about more and seemed like something everyone at least knew about. Having the sudden backslide is incredibly disheartening.”

Elizabeth Kamper, a gender-nonconforming information literacy librarian and assistant professor within the Honors department said they believe this recent trend towards anti-transgender rhetoric is happening because transgender people threaten conservative society.

“Just the existence of trans individuals de-legitimizes the foundations of heteronormativity and white supremacy,” Kamper said. “The hatred has always existed but it’s blatant now because xenophobic voices have been amplified since 2016. They were always there; they were quiet before, but now they’re loud.”

As these bills continue to be introduced and passed, Rice said she believes we will not only see a shift of coalitions within current political parties, but a change in who votes as well.

“On one hand, there’s a group of Republicans that are social conservatives pushing for some of these changes,” Rice said. “But there’s also been a long history of well-organized LGBTQ Republicans. They’ve had a safe place with the Republicans until recently, but with these policies they are no longer safe.”

Rice said this alienation may change the current political landscape in the future.

“We may see some shifting in party affiliation as a result [of the new policies],” Rice said.“The biggest impact will be seen in Gen Z voters as well as young- er millennials who tend to be big supporters of LGBTQ rights and say that it’s an important issue; the sort of issue that might bring people to the polls who don’t usually participate.”

Although the impact of these bills have yet to be seen, some places are working to ensure safe spaces remain. Stygar and Kamper believe that SIUE has remained a relatively safe space f or transgender people.

“I think most people on campus want inclusivity and want this campus to be a safe place,” Stygar said. “My impression is that most people are on board and there’s just a few people who are resisting.”

Sites said he agrees with the general acceptance of LGBTQ community, and he’s had positive interactions with all of his teachers and fellow students.

“I definitely feel that the staff are more aware and conscious of differences and are willing to learn from them, rather than being put off by them,” Sites said.

The Queer Faculty and Staff Association has worked with The Mensi Project to place menstruation products in all of the bathrooms in accordance with Illinois law. They also serve as a safe space for students.

Kamper, who is the Vice President of the QFSA, says that in the future they would like to have a specific space with “a closed door” for queer students who just need a moment or a place to be themselves.

As these bills continue to be introduced and passed, the people affected by them are continuing to live their lives, but have to remain vigilant. Sites says now more than ever it is paramount for cisgender people to support trans people in any way they can.

“If you have trans friends, stand by them, go to the bathroom with them if that’s necessary,” Sites said. “Be supportive. Be their rock and understand that there are things that they have experienced; fears and anxieties that they experience on a daily basis that you might not understand, but you need to be there to support them.”