The purpose of this project is to give transgender people an opportunity to identify as they please, especially when it comes to changing their names from what was given to them at birth. I am proposing this because a name is part of every person’s identity and not allowing for a specific person to easily change their name because of gender change is denial that they are even a person, therefore completely de-humanizing that specific individual. I hope that as more people on campus see this project being implemented, they will spread the word and help campus admin understand that as a TWU community, we have to make the process of wanting to change your name and email as a trans-person easier and readily accessible. My project is important to the society because so many people start discovering and accepting themselves once they come to college, so a supportive and welcoming campus community is necessary for any transgender individual to feel at ease with their personal life change and transition. This past summer, one of my friends got married and when she came back this school year, she requested for a name and email change and her wish was granted within a short period of time.
A a few years back, another friend of mine had already been accepted to TWU and had been going here for at least three semesters. As he continued his studies here, he identified as a transgender male. This was already a whole life changing decision that he was brave enough to go through with. He decided to change his name and when it came to doing so at the institution, he went through a more difficult and challenging journey. He constantly had to sign papers and documents every time he visited the administration office. He was referred to different people that were supposed to help him and he would always get to a dead end, which was humiliated. Author Julia Serano talks about this, saying that “transgender people are often forced to account for themselves in deeply…humiliating detail” (231). Basically, every time he was referred to someone else, he had to recount his story and tell them what he wanted to do and was always asked the same questions, some that would make him uncomfortable. Compared to my cis-gender female friend who was given what she desired in a reasonable amount of time, my transgender friend did not get the same assistance.
The one thing that anyone strives to achieve anywhere they go is being accepted for who they are and how they are. Authors Lorber and Moore in “Aligning Bodies, Identities, and Expressions: Transgender Bodies” say it best that “like all of us, transgender people want to be accepted as full-fledged members of their gender community” (227). Additionally, seeing someone as one thing is absurd as there are so many identities that this one person could have. Several activists try to push for recognition as having multiple identities and experiences. For example, author Evelyn Alsultany in “Los Intersticios: Recasting Moving Selves” writes that “when we’re not acknowledged as complex unitary subjects, we become caught in los intersticios, haciendo caras to get by” (65). So just as this author would like to be seen and recognized as a whole person comprised of multiple identities, it would be worthwhile to do the same for transgender individuals. They are also made up of many identities as anyone else in their communities and they should not be forced to conform to just one of these equally valuable identities.
