Gender-blind housing at Guilford
Anya Benson
Issue date: 10/7/05 Section: Forum
- Page 1 of 2 next >
It's not something you usually think about. Girls live with girls, and guys live with guys. It has always been that way and we assume it always will be that way. However, as the community at Guilford College continues to grow and our campus works towards an ever more diverse environment, it's time to reconsider.
Gender-blind housing essentially means that people of any sex or gender can room together if they so choose.
It means that gay students would have the option of rooming with someone of the opposite sex if this makes them feel more comfortable.
It means that transgender students would never be forced to room with someone of the opposite gender.
It means that intersex students would not have to be defined by an arbitrary sexual designation.
It means that two friends, male and female, would be trusted to be roommates in the same way that two female or two male friends currently can.
This is not some crazy idea I've concocted. Gender-blind rooming policies are currently in place in at least seven colleges in the US, including Swarthmore, Oberlin, Wesleyan, and Sarah Lawrence - the latter having been identified by Guilford as one of our aspirant schools in the Strategic Long-Range Plan.
These schools have not encountered serious problems with their policy; rather, it has been embraced by students, faculty, and administration.
Currently, co-ed suitemates are allowed in our new apartments, which might seem to present an alternative for students who are uncomfortable with same-sex roommates. However, the extra cost of living in the apartments eliminates this option for many students. Gender-blind housing should be an option for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Guilford College has a duty to its students to make the dorms acceptable for all sexes, genders, and sexual orientations.
This is a duty Guilford College acknowledged by including in the Strategic Long-Range Plan a goal to implement more inclusive housing policies for transgender and intersex students. If we implement gender blind housing, Guilford will be living up to its goal of being a school that embraces diversity.
Gender-blind housing essentially means that people of any sex or gender can room together if they so choose.
It means that gay students would have the option of rooming with someone of the opposite sex if this makes them feel more comfortable.
It means that transgender students would never be forced to room with someone of the opposite gender.
It means that intersex students would not have to be defined by an arbitrary sexual designation.
It means that two friends, male and female, would be trusted to be roommates in the same way that two female or two male friends currently can.
This is not some crazy idea I've concocted. Gender-blind rooming policies are currently in place in at least seven colleges in the US, including Swarthmore, Oberlin, Wesleyan, and Sarah Lawrence - the latter having been identified by Guilford as one of our aspirant schools in the Strategic Long-Range Plan.
These schools have not encountered serious problems with their policy; rather, it has been embraced by students, faculty, and administration.
Currently, co-ed suitemates are allowed in our new apartments, which might seem to present an alternative for students who are uncomfortable with same-sex roommates. However, the extra cost of living in the apartments eliminates this option for many students. Gender-blind housing should be an option for all students, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Guilford College has a duty to its students to make the dorms acceptable for all sexes, genders, and sexual orientations.
This is a duty Guilford College acknowledged by including in the Strategic Long-Range Plan a goal to implement more inclusive housing policies for transgender and intersex students. If we implement gender blind housing, Guilford will be living up to its goal of being a school that embraces diversity.