Barnard students talked about the challenges faced by queer, genderqueer and transgender students at the Barnard Q Club’s Queer Issues Forum on Wednesday night, proposing ways to create a safer environment for LGBTQ students on campus.
The annual event, which took place in the Diana Event Oval, was attended by over 60 students, staff members, professors, and administrators, including Barnard President Debora Spar and Barnard Dean Avis Hinkson.
Students discussed ways for Barnard, an all-women’s college, to deal with the question of transgender students. Barnard is legally allowed to accept only women, so it could be a challenge for the administration to implement a trans-inclusive admissions policy that would still protect its legal status as a women’s college.
“There is no trans policy here—at all,” said Nina Spierer, BC ’12 and one of the leaders of Q Club. “It’s on a case-by-case basis if someone comes in and wants to transition.”
Students in attendance at the forum pitched several ideas, including more trans-specific medical and mental health resources as well as gender-neutral bathrooms in every campus building.
Some also suggested increased access to gender-neutral living spaces, especially for first-years. Columbia administrators recently approved a gender-neutral housing program for next year, although the program is not open to first-years.
“I want to know what are the kinds of environments that are conducive to building positive community,” Hinkson said. “I want to know if there are spaces in which you feel unsafe.”
Attendees also asked for more LGBTQ-focused training for faculty and staff, a queer space on campus, and increased LGBTQ visibility in Barnard’s marketing materials.
“Introducing representations of Barnard women that aren’t what we see now is totally essential,” Emma Goidel, BC ’12, said. “And when people see themselves represented, they feel that they have space to express themselves.”
“We can get a brochure out, we can get them to NSOP,” Spar said. “We can get them to faculty. That’s easy.”
There are some LGBTQ resources available at the Furman Counseling Center, and several students mentioned receiving LGBTQ-positive care at the Well Woman center. For some students, though, it is unclear how many students use these resources or how much usage would increase if they were more publicized.
“This has to do with community. It has to do with culture,” Ilana Caplan, BC ’12, said. “If you really want to empower women, empower women. And do it in a way that includes every single woman, every single person that identifies as a woman or wants to be known as a woman.”
Others said that Barnard has already made some progress in establishing safe queer and feminist spaces. Barnard theater professor Sylvan Oswald, BC ’01—who came out as transgender after graduating from Barnard—said that while he faced a lack of awareness from students and administrators as a Barnard student, things have changed since then.
“I think there was a 0.5 percent trans awareness when I was an undergrad ... The fact that these conversations are happening is amazing,” Oswald said.
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