The Bryn Mawr Environment

I talked a little bit last class about how I feel like, as a student at Bryn Mawr who is visibly gay, I am often reduced to a character ("the gay one"). As I say this, I recognize that I am one of many, many gay women on campus, many of whom are open about their sexuality, reflect their sexuality in their clothing choices, and actively take part in the campus gay culture. For this reason, the thought of welcoming trans women onto Bryn Mawr's campus seems both an obvious necessity (as doing otherwise would deny their womanhood and assume we have the right to make any sort of gendered distinction), and one about which we must be very careful. As several people mentioned in class last Thursday, we have to be absolutely prepared to offer allegiance and support systems before we make a big deal out of our (supposedly) inclusive admissions policy. If I am already uncomfortable at times with being known as "the gay one," then I cannot imagine the experience of the first trans woman who is recognized by other students as such, and is referred to according to, in such blunt language that inherently erases all personality traits or non-physical characteristics.

This being said, it seems like there is already a huge problem with the Bryn Mawr environment when all of our emails and announcements are addressed to "women" and "she"s, while the college is knowingly a home to many people on all other points along the gender spectrum. My "the gay one" could very easily be someone else's "he," as simply naming a Bryn Mawr man's pronoun narrows the list to just a few out trans men. While trans women who identify with "she/her" pronouns would not encounter this same pronoun issue, there are dangers that come with being one of a small minority, as it can be so easy to naively other those who don't fit into the neat categories we like to think engulf all of Bryn Mawr.