QNotes, August 20, 2021

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by Kendra R. Johnson,
Equality NC Executive Director
Contributing Writer
As we continue through the blazing heat
of the end of summer, it’s time to take
stock and reflect on recent events. This is
even more true this month because this
is Black August. Black August is a time
of resilience and remembrance of Black
resistance against racial oppression, especially
in the prison system.
Black August began in 1979 following
almost two decades of organizing and
resistance by folks like George Jackson,
James Carr, Hugo Pinell, W.L. Nolan,
Khatari Golden and others while within
the walls of the California penitentiary system.
These men took it upon themselves
to form a brotherhood that solidified a
collective consciousness surrounding
the unjust treatment of Blackness by the
American judicial system and the horrific
atrocities they experienced as Black individuals
experiencing incarceration.
We know that it’s crucial to celebrate
this important work — so let’s take this
Resilience and Remembrance
Political Voices
time to celebrate our wins in the struggle
for justice. And let’s spotlight one in particular
— Charlotte passed a nondiscrimination
ordinance.
On the evening of Monday the 9th, the
Charlotte City Council passed a nondiscrimination
ordinance, creating protections
from discrimination based on gender
identity, sexual orientation, natural hair,
veteran status and much more. It was an
incredible moment for our communities,
and it wouldn’t have been possible without
the incredibly powerful coalition in
Charlotte which has been working towards
nondiscrimination for almost 30 years,
well before I became ENC’s Executive
Director. This fight was all the more important,
given the dangerous situation for
Black trans women in the city — Charlotte
has been identified as one of the most
dangerous cities in the country for the
trans community.
The struggle began as far back as the
90s. More recently, Charlotte voted on
nondiscrimination in 2015 — but due to
some last minute changes, the ordinance
failed. In 2016, Charlotte was finally able
to pass a comprehensive NDO — but it unfortunately
became the target of backlash
at the N.C. General Assembly, resulting in
the infamous House Bill 2 and its later partial
repeal in House Bill 142. With House
Bill 142’s ban on local ordinances sunsetting
in December 2020, local advocates
and activists were poised to push through
nondiscrimination legislation on the local
level. A coalition assembled, with Equality
NC and the Campaign for Southern
Equality, the Carolinas LGTBQ Chamber
of Commerce, Charlotte Black Pride,
Charlotte Pride and Transcend Charlotte.
Our coalition worked and lobbied the
city council hard — and in the end it was
successful. Charlotte, the largest city in
North Carolina, now protects LGBTQ people
from discrimination in many walks of life.
The lesson of the Charlotte nondiscrimination
ordinance is one of the importance
of coalition building. In the face of
unpredictable and powerful opposition,
advocates fought for nondiscrimination
through thick and thin, eventually achieving
a resounding victory. Charlotte was
able to accomplish this because of all of
you — the people who wrote letters to
city council, the people who came out to
protests, the people who said that they
were ready for nondiscrimination. This
spirit of collaboration and mutual aid in
the struggle against oppression is what
Black August is all about.
And Equality NC is working to build on
this tradition of resistance this month. In
celebration of Black August, Equality North
Carolina is selling Black Resilience t-shirts
— and donating proceeds to the QTIPOC
Survival Fund, a mutual aid organization
which gives money to queer and trans
people of color in need in the Piedmont of
North Carolina. You can donate here.
We strongly encourage you to honor
the spirit of Black August this month by
taking a stand against anti-Blackness
and the carceral state in your community,
whether it’s through helping out a
bail fund, participating in a protest, or
donating to mutual aid work through the
QTIPOC Survival Fund.
We all have a role to play in the struggle
for racial and social justice — let’s join
together and make some change. : :
Advice for Transgender and Non-Binary Students
For People Starting College and Those Returning to Campus
am a Campus Pride intern and a fourthyear
student at Syracuse University. As a
I
college student, I have had the freedom
to explore my gender and sexuality while
living on my own. I did not come out as
non-binary until my junior year of college,
and it was difficult at first to navigate the
challenges of being trans on campus.
Whether you’re a first-year student or
are about to graduate, there are more resources
available to you than you realize.
You are not the first or last student going
through this, and you are not alone. Read
below for some of the best advice and resources
I’ve found in my time at Syracuse.
Campus Pride’s Trans Policy
Clearinghouse is a resource for college
and university transgender policies. The
clearinghouse is updated regularly by Dr.
Genny Beemyn, a scholar on trans issues
in higher education and the Director of
the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s
Stonewall Center.
It is important to know whether trans
and non-binary student rights are protected
on your campus. In recent years, colleges
and universities have updated their nondiscrimination
policies to include gender identity
and expression. If you attend a historically
women’s college, make sure you are aware
of your school’s trans admissions and graduation
policies if you plan on coming out or
transitioning as a matriculated student.
Trans-Inclusive School Records
and Legal Identification
At Syracuse University, students can
change their gender designation with legal
documentation, but only if it matches their
4 qnotes Aug. 20-Sept. 2, 2021
“legal sex designation.” Your legal gender
designation is provided on government
documents, like a license or passport,
which many trans individuals don’t have.
Schools like Elon University will allow
you to update your name and pronouns
on school records or through your student
portal. Although you may be unable to
update your “legal sex designation” on
your records, your preferred name and
pronouns will be available to all of your
professors on their class rosters.
If you experience bias or discrimination
in the classroom, you can use Campus
Pride’s bias and hate crime prevention
resources or go through your school’s
official channels. LGBTQ discrimination is
by Julia Schwenderman | Campus Pride Intern
It is important to ensure a college respects the needs of gender-expansive individuals.
(Photo Credit: Gender Spectrum Collection)
illegal at government-funded institutions
under Title IX. For more information about
how the law protects LGBTQ students, visit
bit.ly/3AIZxIh.
Trans-Affirming Campus
Spaces and Facilities
Today, some colleges and universities
offer gender-inclusive student housing. At
Duke University, students living in dorms
can request a gender-neutral rooming assignment
to make their on-campus living
arrangements more comfortable. Some
universities offer LGBTQ Living Learning
Communities for first-year students or
gender-inclusive student housing, like
Shore Hall at Guilford College.
Bathrooms are often a point of contention
for trans and non-binary students.
Student housing at many universities
and colleges still features community
showers or “sex separate” floors and
bathrooms. Contact your residential
housing association to locate gender
neutral bathrooms in the dorms. Check
out your school’s website to see if they
offer a map or list of other trans-inclusive
facilities on campus.
Gender-Affirming Counseling
and Healthcare Services
Finding a LGBTQ health center in
my college town helped me through my
transition and to navigate my mental
health struggles. At the University of
Connecticut and other schools, students
can receive gender-affirming health care
and counseling services.
Student health centers at some
schools offer a variety of gender health
care services like hormone therapy,
general wellness and gender-affirming
consultations. Check out your student
health care center’s pharmacy to see if
they sell trans-inclusive health and wellness
supplies, like chest binders, KT tape
and hair-removal treatments.
But, there are other resources for
finding LGBTQ-affirming therapists and
healthcare providers. Find an LGBTQ
healthcare provider using the GLMA
Provider Directory. For students of color
looking for BIPOC therapists, check out the
National Queer and Trans Therapists of
Color Network. : :