Sarah Mead Staff Writer smead@murraystate.edu Canvas now allows students and faculty to select personal pronouns on their user accounts to promote inclusion. “It signals acceptance and an inclusive environment,” said Ihsan Alkhatib, associate professor and pre-law adviser. “We should recognize our diversity and [have] respect for everyone. As a member of cis majority, we take Read More
Sarah Mead Staff Writer smead@murraystate.edu Emily Shepherd Contributing Writer eshepherd2@murraystate.edu Isaac Ash Contributing Writer bash2@murraystate.edu Transgender Awareness Week is celebrated the second week of November, leading up to the Transgender Day of Remembrance which memorializes victims of violence. The purpose of Transgender Awareness Week is to educate about transgender and gender-nonconforming people and the issues Read More
Story by Taylor Inman, Staff writer Murray State has had gender-neutral bathrooms on campus since summer 2014, but recent legislation in other states has once again sparked the debate concerning transgender people and the bathrooms they prefer to use. The bills, which restrict transgender people from using the bathroom of their gender identity, have been passed in Read More
Story by Dylan Doyle, Contributing writer Transgender Day of Remembrance, a day of reflection and visibility for transgender people and the LGBT community at large, will be held by activist groups nationwide Friday. The purpose of Transgender Day of Remembrance is to memorialize the 24 people who lost their lives to violence this year simply because Read More
Story by Ben Manhanke, Staff writer She. He. Her. Him. Jody Cofer Randall, director of LGBT Programming, said every day she is asked what pronoun she prefers to be referred to by, sometimes two to three times a day. “I’ve accepted that, in many ways, I’ll be coming out for the rest of my life,” Cofer Read More
When I first saw Jazz Jennings, nothing struck me as peculiar. She looked like any other vibrant, charming and charismatic teenage girl. I assumed that her age and on-camera presence made her an ideal candidate as a representative of Clean and Clear. She fit the mold of what you see for something targeted Read More
With the introduction of Senate Bill 76 to the state General Assembly last week, Kentucky came to the forefront of a growing national debate concerning transgender rights. SB76, also known as the “Kentucky Student Privacy Act” would, if passed, ban transgender students in grades K-12 from using school restrooms and locker rooms which don’t correspond Read More
The Respect My Identity campaign officially kicked off in September with a program, “A Radically Candid View on Transgender Equality,” which featured Mara Keisling, director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. After advocating for transgender issues on campus for the past several years, Murray State’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Programming Office has chosen Read More