The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3 - 69

The Impact of the Gender Binary in Campus Housing

sad, tragic lives, a stigmatizing trope feared by
Ishmael's mother (Halberstam, 2005). These
students also had certain privileges. They
are both White, and they both had insurance
through their parents that ameliorated medical
costs associated with transitioning. Although
Ishmael experienced violence off campus, on
campus both felt safe. The challenges these
students faced might seem minor, but they
illustrate structural issues that need addressing, and other trans collegians may experience
them more severely.

then do universities know how to place students who chose the transitioning option?

Genderism in Housing Assignments

to center trans voices, educate

As previously stated, genderism is the maintenance and reinforcement of the gender binary
(Browne, 2004). Ishmael's and Taylor's stories
illustrate genderism in action despite good
intentions of their HRL departments. The
housing applications demonstrate the offices'
intentions to be inclusive. Although the inclusion of "transgender" and "transitioning"
seems to break the binary, as Ishmael points
out, "transgender" conflates sex and gender.
"Transitioning" also positioned Taylor in a difficult position, as being trans does not always
involve transitioning, and transitioning is a
complex process. Trans applicants like Taylor
may rightly wonder how well the housing department understands transitioning, especially when it is juxtaposed with two sex options
(male and female). This situation may leave
applicants wondering if the application choice
means the person must undergo medical
gender confirmation. The application language
as it exists excludes students who do not transition, non-binary students, trans people who
identify as man or woman, and those who transition in non-transnormative ways (A. Johnson,
personal communication, June 24, 2019). How

Fundamentally, despite these options, the
inherent structure of assigning students according to the gender binary remains. Such
processes ask trans students to fit in within
a binary rather than restructuring process
around a more capacious understanding of

Rather, HRL professionals need
themselves about the complexities
of trans student experiences, and
assess their efforts.

gender, leaving trans and transitioning students only as an "other than." To rephrase,
the incorporation of transitioning and transgender choices in an application conveys a
divergence from a man/woman binary rather
than an acknowledgment of gender as a fluid,
complex construct. Because the gender binary
is the implicit foundation for the third (or
even fourth) option, the choices reinforce the
binary instead of dismantling it. The lack of
response Ishmael received suggests not only
a lack of proper support for him, but perhaps
also lack of clarity on the part of HRL professionals. Certainly, his assignment with
women implies both a lack of support and
understanding about sex and gender in assignment criteria. Although Taylor luckily
landed with an appropriate roommate, how
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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 46, No. 3