doc2beag-blog

[doc2beag-blog]

Gender Fluidity and Blackness in Higher Education

Hello. It’s my first blog. Let’s get to know each other a bit before I jump right into my post for the day. Here’s what you need to know... I’m a doc student, life learner, student affairs loving, student affairs critic and budding lover or research. I’m a second year doc student and member of the inaugural cohort (I’ll explain this later) of the Higher Education Leadership and Policy Studies Program at Howard University. Does that make me an expert? Not at all. Just someone who is constantly expanding their knowledge in service to students.

So to the topic... Gender fluidity and Black identity. An assignment for one of my courses called for me to register on a particular blog and post a response to a predetermined question. I went to the blog and began registration. One of the prompts asked me to identify my gender. The answer option under the blank section to be filled in read “Choose male or female or you will be banned from the site.” I filled it in. “Female” and proceeded to register knowing well that I was so troubled by the option to self identify under the 2 binary option they provided. Outside of female and male being biological sex terms and not gender terms, I kept thinking about my cis identify. I never have to questions what I will write in those prompts. I did however think of students that I have the pleasure of working with and for that didn’t fit so nicely in that box. What would they put? This website asserted that it was a landmark for Black intellectual thought. How is that possible if all Black folk aren’t even welcome. Maybe we need to call a spade a spade. You can’t be the voice of Black intellect without having done the work of unlearning what you think you know. So I emailed my professor. I explained how problematic that question and limited answer choice were. Ge graciously allowed me to write about this instead. 

I watched a video/article from the Chronicle of Higher Education (2015): http://www.chronicle.com/article/Ask-Me-What-LGBTQ-Students/232797 

Before I get to far into my thoughts... here’s a quick overview.

Sex: The biological genitalia you were assigned at birth: female, intersex and male

Sexual Orientation: this is attraction.

Gender: woman, genderqueer, gender fluid, man etc.

This link is yet another reminder of how important the freedom to choose and express identity among students is important. College is the place where many students find refuge and affirmation in who they are and what they believe. It’s most important in this exploratory environment that we meet them where they are. Not having to think about if I belong in a certain restroom or if my expression of gender will be questioned is a privilege that I have that some don’t. Creating safe spaces in which gender doesn’t have to be a contingency for admission are important. 

Some institutions have created some safe havens like gender inclusive restrooms where regardless of gender identity, you can use the same. Some institutions have created preferred name places for Trans/gender fluid students who may not identify by their given names. 

Black intellect has to make space for Black folk that stretch the narrative. We otherwise are engaging in groupthink about what “we’ve always known” and “always do.”