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Support Group Founders Discuss Trans Issues on Campus Paul Halley Staff Writer
There is a lot that one can learn about the transgender community, both socially and politically, and how it relates to the communities that one belongs to. According to Trans Student Educational Resources (TSER), the average age that transgender youth become homeless is 13.5 years old. Additionally, 57 percent of transgender youth who reported that they have unsupportive parents have attempted suicide. It is these kinds of statistics that have encouraged classmates Jamey Merkel, SUNY Potsdam sophomore, and Harper Badeau, junior, to collaborate with their anthropology professor, Dr. Alan Hersker, to establish a Trans Support Group at the college. Merkel and Badeau, co-founders of the group, have already made big strides toward helping the transgender community at the college by organizing this group. The group meets at an anonymous time and location, for confidentiality purposes. The best way to come to a meeting is to go through a ‘gatekeeper,’ or rather, a faculty member (of which there are several) to see if the meeting is the right match for you. The statistics at the beginning of this article only represent a couple of the issues that the transgender community
Harper Badeau (left) and Jamey Merkel (right) stand up for transgender students.
Photo by Paul Halley
face. Students who identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming could potentially have a very difficult time wherever their birth names appear on college records and documents, such as on their SUNY cards, a class roster, and Moodle. “It’s really uncomfortable having to use your SUNY card for everything – like to go buy food – when there’s a name on it that you don’t go by,” said Merkel. “Then the people
you’re buying food from will call you that name, when that’s not even your name at all.” “My birth name is [on BearPAWS] and I don’t go by my birth name anymore,” said Badeau. “And it makes me uncomfortable to know that there are certain people who know my birth name.” Another serious issue for transgender and gendernonconforming individuals revolves around the use of pre-
ferred personal pronouns: he, she, they/him, her, and them. “At SUNY Potsdam, transgender students and gendernonconforming students often face difficulties when interacting with professors and other students,” said Badeau. “It’s not always the fault of the professor or the other student, but I know that for myself and for a lot of my friends, a lot of us use ‘they’ and ‘them’ as our pronouns, and a lot of people still
presentation on the craft of poetry on Thursday, May 5 at 12:30 p.m. in Flagg Hall. Espada has published almost 20 books as a poet, editor, essayist and translator. His new collection, “Vivas to Those Who Have Failed,” was recently published by Norton. Espada’s many honors include the Shelley Memorial Award, the Robert Creeley Award, the National Hispanic Cultural Center Literary Award, the American Book
Award, a PEN/Revson Fellowship and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His book, “The Republic of Poetry,” was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize. The Department of English and Communication will present a Visiting Writers Series once again during this year’s festival, as well as ongoing presentations on “The Writer’s Craft.” In addition, graduating seniors in the department’s selective Bachelor of Fine Arts program in creative writing will
offer readings of their works. The SUNY Potsdam Department of Theatre and Dance has also sponsored a number of spoken word events to take place during the LoKo Festival. All events are free, and the public is invited to attend. On Wednesday, May 4: Joanna Luloff offered a presentation, “Write Away from What You Know: Explore How to Make the Familiar Strange,” at 10 a.m. in the Fireside Lounge, followed by
have a hard time with that.” “It’s so important to ask someone their pronouns and to also tell others your pronouns even if you identify as cisgender,” Merkel said. “Telling someone your pronouns will normalize the whole process; it should go hand-in-hand with telling someone your name.” Allowing the use of one’s true name (as opposed to their birth name) on college documents and records just takes a little work from the administration; but it becomes difficult to be inclusive when it involves a change in our language use – referring to someone as ‘they’ and ‘them,’ for example. In reality, it doesn’t take much effort to refer to someone the way they want to be referred. Asking someone’s correct pronouns is an effort that everyone on campus should make. Try it out during new social interactions and start becoming a part of the solution. For anyone who is reading this article that is questioning their gender identity, Merkel and Badeau say “your feelings are one hundred percent valid.” There is a clothes closet that sits in the GSA Office at Sisson 235 for anyone who needs clothes to fit their gender identity and expression. Flyers for the support group are spread across the campus with contact information for anyone who is interested.
LoKo Brings Big Talent to Local Arts
Potsdam News SUNY Potsdam will welcome a number of authors to campus and host creative writing and spoken word events during the 2016 Lougheed-Kofoed Festival of the Arts, from Friday, April 29 to Sunday, May 8. The College was proud to welcome renowned poet Martín Espada for a presentation and public reading during the LoKo Festival. Espada led a
a reading from her book at 4 p.m. in the same space. Thursday, May 5: Matthew Vollmer offered a presentation, “Expanding and Dissolving Genre: Considering Forms of Representation,” at 10 a.m. in the Fireside Lounge. Martin Espada presented on “The Craft of Poetry” at 12:30 p.m. in Flagg Hall Room 238. At 4 p.m., Vollmer read from his book in the Fireside Lounge, — Continued on page 2 —
Index Op Ed:
College Life:
Community:
Coexisting Between Potsdam and Crane
Jenica Rogers on Information Literacy
Saying Goodbye to Racquette Seniors
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