ftm-and-bi

[ftm-and-bi]

Attending college as a trans person can entail many difficulties. Consider the situation with dorms, for example; trans students may or may not be allowed to live in the halls for those of their chosen gender identity. This might also mean that trans students have a roommate or roommates who do not share their gender identity, which at best can cause awkwardness, and at worst may lead to feelings of discomfort and even dysphoria. Many college dorms also have communal, gendered bathrooms. Gender neutral bathrooms, meanwhile, might be limited in number or entirely nonexistent on campus, and if they exist rarely have showers. Situations such as these can make the college experience especially difficult for trans students. We often find ourselves in situations that are not affirming of our gender identities, which aside from personal feelings of dysphoria can also lead to feelings of social isolation.

Another major barrier between trans people and college success is family. Of course, many trans people are not accepted by their families, which can create all kinds of roadblocks. Family may retract financial assistance, if they were even providing financial assistance in the first place; many trans people are low-income or come from low-income families themselves. Families may refuse to help trans students navigate applications, figure out a housing situation, and countless other scenarios that many other students have access to. I myself have experience with many of these issues. Conversely, these issues with family are why attending college is so important to so many trans people. Moving to attend college is many trans people’s plan to escape discriminatory family and have the freedom to come out, transition, and find other LGBTQ+ people to form community with. That community can be especially important as a trans person in need of support systems other than their own families.

These are just some of the reasons that the #TransgenderFirst scholarship is so important. I was so excited to find out about this scholarship for a number of reasons. There are many scholarships for members of the LGBTQ+ community at large, but this was the first one I found that is intended for trans students specifically. Because we face certain unique challenges from our cis queer peers, I think it’s so important to have resources like this that are for us trans people specifically. Not only does it meet a particular need—one that many of us have—but it helps to uplift trans people in a way we are so infrequently able to experience. Another reason I think this scholarship is so valuable is that the application process is easy and available to all trans students regardless of location or major. In my search for LGBTQ+ scholarships, I have often been let down by requirements that I do not meet. I could find only one LGBTQ+ scholarship intended for students in my state, and it was only for those attending one specific college. I’m sure that people in many other states, especially the red ones, have had this disappointing experience as well.

Please like and reblog to spread the word and help other trans college students learn about this resource. There are so many difficulties and so few options to provide help for us in particular. I want other trans people, many of whom are experiencing the same difficulties as myself, to know about an option like this. We deserve to attend college and have access to resources to do so as comfortably and securely as possible.