Dr. Genny Beemyn Gives Thought-Provoking Talk about Gender Identity at McKendree

A hushed murmuring permeated the hallways of Piper Academic Center as the McKendree community waited to hear from a special guest speaker on Friday, March 22, 2024. In fact, each seat was filled in the building’s lecture hall, with several people bringing in extra chairs or perching themselves upon the room’s stairs. Students, faculty, and staff members alike took the time to hear what Dr. Genny Beemyn, the director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Stonewall Center, had to say about the changing nature of gender in the 21st century.

Genny, who has identified as genderqueer since the late 1990s and uses the pronouns “they/them,” gave an interactive presentation rich in data to a rapt audience. Their findings were eye-opening and led to several audience members asking follow-up questions and staying behind after the presentation to learn more. According to their website, Genny is a trans educator, author, speaker, and consultant. In addition to being the director of the UMass Amherst Stonewall Center since 2006, they have also served as the coordinator of Campus Pride’s Trans Policy Clearinghouse since 2012 and were also the co-editor of the recently published The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies and an associate editor of the second edition of The SAGE Encyclopedia of LGBTQ+ Studies. They worked with the Common App, the admissions form used by more than 1,000 colleges, to make it more trans-inclusive and are the first researcher to analyze their data on gender identity and pronouns. Additionally, they played an instrumental role in making the University of Iowa the first school in the nation to add gender identity to its non-discriminatory policy in 1996.

“Genny is one of the most important LGBTQIA+ intellectuals and activists in the country. Their work is groundbreaking, and I saw their coming to McKendree as a terrific opportunity to showcase how trans issues are challenging the gender binary status quo, along with the backlash,” said Dr. Martha Patterson, professor of English at McKendree University. “My hope is that their talk would raise awareness about additional initiatives we might take on campus to make all students, regardless of their sexuality or gender identification, feel welcome and included.”

 

The Power of Language

On that early spring day, Genny spoke about how trans and nonbinary students continue to increase, how students use pronouns today, the positive and negative ways that the nature of gender affects society, and how universities can become a source of help.

Genny began their presentation by asking attendees what percentage of college students are out as trans or nonbinary. According to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment, 6.2% of students identify as either nonbinary or

trans. Yet this number is an underestimate, partially because the students might not want to share that information. Regardless, according to Genny, the “nonbinary” response on these surveys has increased exponentially over the past 7 years.

On the Common App, those who were polled had more than 100 names for their gender – more than what was present even 20 years ago. For example, pangender, cassgender, gender nonconforming, two spirit, xenogender, and ambigender were frequent answers.

“Others might answer with something along the lines of ‘I’m just me – I don’t have the words to describe the complexity of my gender,’” Genny said.

Additionally, the most frequent pronouns that were used among nonbinary were “they/them” at 45.22%. Very few used what’s called “neopronouns,” a category of new pronouns that are increasingly used in place of “she,” “he,” or “they” when referring to a person. Frequent neopronouns include words such as “xe/xey,” “ey/em,” and “ze/zir.”

The data, according to Genny, has shown that more people are coming out as either nonbinary or trans; they are typically younger, use “they/them,” and have taken an interest in finding the right name for how they identify themselves.

 

Is Choosing a Gender "Trendy"

Perhaps another surprising statistic that Genny shared was that in 2023, 79.3% of students who answered that they were nonbinary were legally assigned female at birth.

“It’s still not safe for individuals assigned male at birth to step outside as anything other than male. It’s very hard to be open about that,” Genny remarked.

They also shared important research that negated the notion that younger people coming out as nonbinary are doing it because it’s “trendy.” In contrast, the research has shown that nonbinary people still experience a great deal of harassment, discrimination, and violence.

“People are still being marginalized,” Genny said. “What’s changed is people see themselves in others who serve as role models.”

 

Gender's Impact on Society

Within the past 10 years, countless books and style guides have added various pronouns and gender-guided language within their pages. In fact, “they” in the singular was added to The Washington Post’s style guide in 2015 and also to The Associated Press Stylebook in 2017. Currently, 22 states and Washington, D.C. offer “X” as a gender option, along with “F” and “M” on driver’s licenses and other state-issued pieces of identification. At the moment, Illinois and Missouri are not among them; however, the State of Illinois does allow residents to select an “X” gender marker on their birth certificates.

In spite of these changes, Genny has shared data that suggests that nonbinary people often still do not have their pronouns respected, don’t have access to facilities, and experience harassment and violence. They shared some responses that students wrote in a fill-in-the-blank portion at the end of the survey. Some of these responses ranged from students who chose to stop using public restrooms at their schools to students who had been attacked on campus and the police did nothing to report or document it.

What was helpful for students, however, was having a supportive family, circle of friends, and university. This, too, was often reflected in the fill-in-the-blank responses students gave, including one that confessed that if they hadn’t received the outreach they did as a young college student that they would have ended their life.

“It’s not ‘us’ and ‘them’ – it becomes ‘us’ when you know someone and care about someone who identifies as nonbinary or trans,” Genny said.

 

McKendree is Giving a Voice to the Unheard

McKendree is no stranger to helping LGBTQIA+ students feel seen, heard, and safe. The Spectrum Alliance, the university’s LGBTQIA+ group on campus, has been a lifeline for these students and allies alike; however, the campus is making additional strides to ensure that they are a welcoming campus for all.

“Thanks to professor of education Dr. Darryn Diuguid and the Spectrum Alliance, we now have gender-inclusive restrooms on campus,” Dr. Patterson said.

Students from all backgrounds may also find safety and non-biased help in several corners of campus, including Student Affairs.

“I have always had an open-door policy for our students, and over the years, I have worked with reducing barriers for gender non-conforming individuals,” said Dr. Joni Bastian, vice president of Student Affairs. “My residence life staff helps students find supportive roommates or neighbors when an individual is transitioning.”

Additionally, the university has created a bias incident report, protocol, and process. Student Affairs directors have also received safe-zone training, and these staff members receive annual training on diversity and inclusion.

“I hope that all McKendree students feel supported by our staff and me,” Dr. Bastian said.