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THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2016 | VOLUME 130 ISSUF 23
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904 Students speak out
Two bills in the Kansas legislature would fine schools for allowing transgender students to use the bathrooms that align with their gender identity. Photo Illustration by Caroline Fiss
University and high school students plan to protest at the Capitol in support of transgender students
▶ LARA KORTE
@lara_korie
University and high school students have organized a protest against two bills in the Kansas legislature they fear would discriminate against transgender students.
The two bills, House Bill 2737 and Senate Bill 513, are titled as the "Student Physical Privacy Act," and would prohibit individuals from using a restroom that does not align with their sex assigned at birth. Schools could face a $2,500 fine for not adhering to the bill. The bills would affect students in public schools across the state, including universities.
Sydney Gaylord, a first year graduate student from Lincoln, Neb., is one of the University students planning to protest the bill. Gaylord said she thinks the proposed legislation is "beeyond discriminatory and frightening."
"Campuses today need to support students' identities and foster an environment that allows and facilitates students' success," Gaylord said. "By targeting trans students, or not allowing them, we're diminishing their identities as people."
Gaylord said trans students already face discrimination and harassment, and that if the legislation were to pass, it would open the door for more.
"I really think it emboldens students who have discriminatory thoughts against trans students or non-gender forming students," Gaylord said. "I think it emboldens them to speak out with that harassment and be even more discriminatory. So it really, really concerns me, because these are our students, these are our classmates, these are our colleagues, and I see it as taking rights away from them."
On March 25, the University's Student Involvement and Leadership Center released a statement criticizing the pieces of legislation.
The statement reads, in part: "The Student Involvement and Leadership Center wants to ensure the KU community that our mission, programs, and branches prioritize students and their ability to be their authentic selves. These new and proposed laws do not reflect the core values of our office."
As previously mentioned, this bill will affect all public schools, including the University and high schools.
The protest scheduled for Friday was originally organized by a group of high school students from Olathe, and now has students from several locations participating.
Caleb Bishop, a sophomore at Oatlathe North High School, is one of the main organizers for the peaceful protest Friday. Bishop said he does not think legislators realize what these laws would mean for trans students.
"Their intention is to honor the privacy and the safety of the cisgender students who happen to be in the bathroom with these transgender kids," Bishop said. "And I don't want to say that that is false, or to undermine anything that they think, because they're entitled to their opinions, but I don't think they quite understand just how detrimental this is to the trans students, and how it compromises their safety."
"It would have them more vulnerable to bullying
and being left out of a place where it's already hard to fit in, you know, a place like high school where you're already trying to fit in with everybody else, but to have the state tell you you can't be who you are just as far as just going to the bathroom, is just horrid." Bishop said
Kansas is not the only state to introduce this type
SEE PROTEST
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AP Photo
Josh Jackson finishes a dunk in the McDonalds All-American game. On Monday, he announced he will be playing at Kansas.
Josh Jackson commits to KU
EVAN RIGGS @EvanRiggsUDK
He was named CO-MVP of the McDonald's All-American game back in March, making it the second-straight year the MVP of the game opted to play college basketball at Kansas.
On Monday, Josh Jackson, a guard from Southfield, Mich., announced his plans to play college basketball at Kansas next year via Twitter.
Jackson chose Kansas over Michigan State and Arizona. He is expected to make an immediate impact on the team, even with players like freshman Lagerald Vick and sophomore Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk likely to return.
Jackson is the No.1 ranked player according to rivals.com and is currently playing for Prolific Prep in Napa, Calif.
Last summer, Jerry Meyer, who has worked for 247Sports.com for 12 years, called Jackson the best shooting guard he's ever scouted. He's already projected as the third overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by DraftExpress.
Jackson joins Udoka Azubuike, who is ranked No. 27 on rivals.com, and Mitch Lightfoot, who is ranked No.117, in the Kansas recruiting class. However, with several players leaving the program, Kansas still has three open scholarships remaining for the upcoming year.
- Edited by Shane Jackson
Student works with organizations to further LGBTQ+ discussions
Omar Rana, a senior from Tulsa, Okla., has spent a majority of his time at the University advocating for issues and causes within the LGBTQ+ community. Rana is the Student Senate Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and is also involved with Delta Lambda Phi, an IFC fraternity for gay, bisexual, transgender and progressive men.
Delta Lambda Phi and numerous other campus organizations have collaborated throughout the month of April to produce events across campus which advance discussions about the LGBTQ+ community. The month of activities and programs is typically referred to as "Gaypir."
▶ CONNER MITCHELL
@ConnerMitchell0
Gaypril is important to furthering diversity and inclusivity discussions on campus, especially since the national pride month happens in June when students aren't on campus, Rana said.
"Pride month is traditionally in June, however, we're not in schoc$^1$ in June. I think it is really important to be able to have this month for visibility and for programming of LGBTQ+-related events. It's nice to kind of have a月 month to keep it fresh in
"Coming from Okianoma, I had a very negative experience being out in Oklahoma," Rana said. "Coming to Kansas, I would say it's a little bit better, but we're not like New York or Los Angeles or anything quite like that yet. We are the flagship university of the state of Kansas. I think we need to have more people, particularly within our administration, but also more students fight back against homophobia, transphobia, all that stuff that is going on."
Rana said his experiences at the University have been better than when he lived in Oklahoma, but there will always be more that can be done to further inclusivity on campus.
While Gaypril is a good starting point to having open discussions about the LGBTQ+ community and gives students a platform, Rana said these types of open discussions should be happening all year long.
"In all honesty, people should be embracing sexual and gender diversity, people should be having these conversations and going to events like this and putting on events like this all year long," he said. "This is a way that we can make it special, almost like a holiday. I think it's been able to give these students a platform. It's been able to give LGBTQ+ students a platform, and
"Gaypril here is a pretty big deal, and folks come to expect that it's going to be a thing, and they get really amped about the programs in Gaypril," they said. "Folks look forward to it, so becausefolks look forward to it and they know it's a thing, and it's gained a reputation and a troupe on campus, it's important because it brings awareness to the gamut of LGBT identities."
Roze Brooks, a graduate assistant in the Center for Sexuality and Gender Diversity, has worked closely with Rana since they came to the University two years ago. Brooks echoed Rana's sentiment about the importance of Gaypril at the University.
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"My relationship with Omar is very dynamic and very vibrant, as is Omar himself," they said. "Because he's in so many different roles, it's always kind of a matter of, 'What is he coming in my doorway today to give me?' It's really useful because he has so much agency and so many places on campus, it's kind of like, Yes, I am so happy to contribute to whatever brainstorming you're trying to do and whatever mission you're trying to complete."
Brooks described their relationship with Rana not only as a resource and advisor, but as someone with similar identities to talk through their lived experiences.
give them more of a space to discuss this stuff, and to kind of make up almost for the lost time and the lost issues."
-Edited by Ryan Wright
everyone's mind," he said.
Alex Robinson/KANSAN
Alex Robinson/KANSAN
Omar Rana, a senior from Tulsa, Okla., is Student Senate Director of Diversity and Inclusion and involved in Delta Lambda Phi.
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