Transgender is a term used to describe individuals whose gender identity differs from the sex the doctor marked on their birth certificate. Gender identity is a person's internal, personal sense of being a man or a woman, or of being someone whose gender exists outside of one of those two ideas. For transgender people, the sex they were assigned at birth does not match their internal gender identity. Transgender includes a range of identities, including: transgender, transsexual, and genderqueer. Trying to change a person's gender identity does not work, just like trying to change a person's sexual orientation does not work. This means transgender people may seek to bring their bodies more into alignment with their gender identity, and/or may define themselves outside of the two boxes that society has constructed for male and female. The best thing to do is ask a person how they identify and to utilize those words.
Harper College offers toilet rooms that are accessible by All Genders in the following locations:
New construction will have one gender-neutral restroom per floor. Remodeling will have one per floor when space permits.
New information will be added to this site to assist transgender students in learning about on campus resources, and to assist faculty/staff in learning about the needs of our transgender students. In the meantime, please review these external resources: