CLICK HERE to see the YouTube video of the Fox News Channel “Heartland” with John Kasich debate on gender-blind housing
MattHillNC.com EXCLUSIVE Original Report
The National Student Genderblind Campaign (www.genderblind.org), a student coalition urging colleges and universities to adopt gender-neutral or “genderblind” housing policies for students, is concerned with biased coverage of the issue offered by Boston’s FOX News Channel, Fox News 25 (www.myfoxboston.com).
During its morning news “Let it Rip” commentary segment on December 12, 2006, Fox News 25 anchors discussed the possibility of Harvard University’s addition of gender-neutral housing policies. The anchors declared their opinions against the plans and upheld stereotypes of men and women as to why gender-neutral housing was not an option.
Gender-neutral housing policies allow students of different genders to live together in the same dormitory rooms. Traditional “co-ed” housing does not include gender-neutral housing within individual dormitory rooms.
In an exclusive statement to MattHillNC.com, David Norton, a co-founder of the National Student Genderblind Campaign and a student at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, said that the anchors for Boston’s Fox News 25 inaccurately portrayed the purpose of gender-neutral housing. Norton also states that the anchors distorted the policy, portraying it as an end-all, be-all policy affecting all students.
Norton says that a student would not go into a housing situation “blind,” without knowing who his or her room mate would be or their gender and the college or university’s housing officials would not be making the call.
“Like any roommate agreement, these requests must be made by both parties mutually,” Norton said.
“[Gender-neutral housing policies] provide options for transgender students, students in the process of discovering their gender identity, gay or bisexual students who feel uncomfortable with rooming with members of the same sex, intersex students who do not wish to be identified by any sex, and students who feel that they would cooperate better with a roommate of the opposite sex,” Norton told MattHillNC.com, “The current policies reflect a time of heteronormativity and heterosexism that is not relevant to students today.”
Norton adds that traditional “co-ed” housing without the added options given with gender-neutral housing policies represents a form of “institutionalized heterosexism” against students who do not fit into traditional categories of sexuality or gender.
Norton says that the Campaign has been able to identify at least 20 colleges and universities with gender-neutral housing policies already in place.
“Because it is difficult to identify each and every schools’ specific regulations, this number does not include institutions with very new policies, or schools with policies that have not yet reached the media,” Norton stated.
Opponents say that they have heard no valid reasons for these policies.
One conservative student stated, “The ‘diversity hawks’ of higher education cannot continue to attempt to make every student feel comfortable during every waking moment. This is not realistic and not what students will face after graduation.”
Another conservative student asked, “What if I’m not comfortable living with a person of a different race or religion? Should colleges institute special housing policies for me?”
Norton disagreed with the opponents and stated this is about real life and real choices.
“Show me an apartment building that has gender-based rooming restrictions,” Norton said, “Their argument is illegitimate because it assumes that change should never happen.”
Norton also added that “overwhelmingly, students want these options available.”
The National Student Genderblind Campaign has begun to receive national attention to its efforts to enact gender-neutral housing policies. Spokespersons and members of the groups have given numerous interviews for media companies around the country and have been invited by the national Fox News Channel for a live debate on the issue. Norton said that the Campaign has not made a decision on whether or not they will accept Fox News Channel’s invitation.
The Campaign has contacted or will be contacting numerous organizations including GenderPAC, GLAAD and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalist Association seeking the possibility of issuing a joint statement expressing their disappointment with Fox News 25.
The National Student Genderblind Campaign is a national grassroots organization established and run by students across the country. It was founded by students from Clark University in Worcester, Massachussets and Guilford College. Their website is www.GenderBlind.org.
Technorati Tags: Genderblind, Gender-neutral housing, college, university, National Student Genderblind Campaign, David Norton, Clark University, Harvard University Guilford College, Boston, Massachussets, Greensboro, North Carolina
Welcome to InterstateQ.com, the commentary and opinion blog of civic journalist and progressive, LGBT activist Matt Comer. Hailing from Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt, 26, now lives in Charlotte, where he works as editor of 
Huh, Matt? Seriously. What would this accomplish. Someone doesn’t feel comfortable being stuck with a particular person? Well guess what. That’s college. Everyone gets stuck with a God awful roommate their first year. You just hope you meet someone you get along with better to room with 2nd semester or the next year.
Seriously, if we are going to preach tolerance and diversity, how is separating groups going to help? How are people supposed to become tolerant of transgendered people if they want to isolate themselves in “gender-blind” dorms? You want an LGBT center at State to promote diversity and help the LGBT community so people will learn and hopefully become less tolerant, but these dorms seem to take a step backward from progess that could be made.
Hey, Natasha… DOn’t ask me. You didn’t hear my opinion in the “article” – that is exactly what that was… I reported this thing without bias (that is a first, lol). Direct your questions to the National Student Genderblind Campaign, http://www.genderblind.org... Or you can watch them on Fox News Channel this Saturday at 8pm.
Matt and Natasha:
I understand where you are coming from, but put yourself in the shoes of a transgender person. Take me for example. I am a 16 year-old female-to-male transsexual in suburban North Carolina. I’ve lived for 16 years in a body I can barely recognize as my own. But when I am fully clothed, I look like any other guy on you’ve met. I have a crew cut, where jeans with holes in the knees, and old t-shirts. I get refered to as ‘sir’ in resturants and in stores, even at the DMV where my lisence is marked ‘F’. I don’t look like a female at all. But I have female organs and have to use the female restrooms at school.
If I was to live in a college dorm full of females, life would become even more complicated. I would get stopped by securtity a lot, and make most of the girls uncomfortable. I would be uncomfortable and out of place. But my ID says female, so I would have to live with the abuse. I would be the only man on the hall, and subject to a tremendous amount of scrutiny.
No one should have to fight a battle just to use the hall restrooms in peace. Genderblind houseing would eliminate all of these problems. Transgender students would feel safe. We know the ‘real’ is cold and mean. We live in it every day. We know what it is like. But we shouldn’t be discriminated against in our dorms. Everyone has to right to sleep safely at night.
-bart
Bart… I just wrote the article. No opinion on my part. I want you to know that personally I agree that genderblind housing should be put in place on college campuses and that I fully support offering transgender persons equitable living arrangements on college campuses. For the sake of the article, however, my opinion was not inserted.
You have managed to live for 16years then what is the problem. If you feel you dont fit to women or men dorm its time to have the third sex dorms for those who are neither males nor females
kalie.