FROM THE FIELD: A breakdown of a new Gettysburg College survey

Students know that it is difficult to gain support for and awareness of their LGBTQIA students on campus – especially in Central Pennsylvania – but it proves even more of a challenge to bring out the “T.”

When students at Gettysburg College conducted a survey regarding sexuality awareness, they were expecting transgendered awareness to be at a low. The survey itself was administered by four freshmen enrolled in an introductory Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies course taught by Professor Nathalie Lebon to 129 random Gettysburg College students from over 15 clubs, organizations and sports teams. When they found that 86% of participants identified as heterosexual, that a majority was unaware of the differences between transgendered, transsexual and transvestite, and that 57% of participants clearly defined penetration as being definitive of sexual intercourse, they felt that their expectations for low trans awareness had become a real possibility.

Yet they were soon proven to be happily incorrect.

A majority of participants from the survey agreed there is a difference between sex and gender, that if they see a person “cross dressing” it does not mean that they are gay and that they are probably interacting with LBGTQ individuals on a daily basis.

Most importantly, 66.3% of survey participants were aware of the debate that had been taking place on the campus regarding acceptance of ROTC credits.

As has occurred on many campuses throughout the country, the acceptance of ROTC credits was again scrutinized after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The question was: Since gays and lesbians are now allowed to serve openly in the military, should we accept credits we refused to accept prior, or continue a ban because of the remaining discrimination of transgendered individuals. Gettysburg College finally voted to allow ROTC credits to be accepted so long as students enrolled in ROTC show active participation in the school’s GSA, Allies, become Safe-Zone Trained, and continue learning about transgendered issues.

There still is a long way to go to fully represent trans inclusion; however, things are changing slowly but surely for the community, and we all have to remember going forward that the “LGB” must never exclude the “T.”

This post was written by Danielle Hernandez, treasurer of the Gettysburg Allies Club.