The University Times

Jack Hartnett | Contributing Writer

Trinity College Dublin officially launched its Gender Identity and Gender Expression Policy today in the Global Room. The policy is a formal recognition that “college will treat all trans* staff, students, alumni and service users with dignity and respect and seek to provide a work and learning environment free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation.”

The event, chaired by the College Equality Officer, Luke Field, marks the formal launch of the policy which was approved by College Board last summer. Speakers at the event consisted of Professor Martine Cuypers, Director of Postgraduate Teaching and Learning and a member of the policy’s working group; Broden Giambrone, Chief Executive of Transgender Equality Network Ireland and Domhnall McGlacken-Byrne, President of Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union.

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Professor Cuypers outlined how the gender policy was created: “Our starting point was, in essence, human rights.” Numerous working documents were developed before consultations with a variety of interests groups including trans* students and staff held throughout 2013 resulted in the creation of formal policy. Cuypers claimed to be surprised by the “huge amount of support” the initiative received and credited this to a “very clear sense of common goal and common expression” among the Trinity College community.

Key outcomes of the policy will see procedures set in place to prevent the trans* status of a person being revealed without permission and also see clear procedures and accommodations put in place for staff and students who wish to undertake physical gender reassignment. These vital components, Giambrone commented, are “actually going to make the living experiences of staff and students at Trinity that much easier.”

Giambrone highlighted that no other Irish university has developed a gender policy “as comprehensive, as progressive and as forward thinking” and admitted that a professor from another university had approached him about expanding the policy to other institutions.

The limitations of the policy were also addressed. It was explained that the introduction of gender-neutral toilets in older buildings on campus would, in some cases, be extremely difficult because of the construction restrictions currently in place. However, one of the aims of the Equality Committee, in association with the Students’ Union, is to ensure that all future college buildings will take into account the needs of trans* students.

At the end of the launch, the floor was opened to a Q & A session. The questions focused on how training for staff in matters of gender identity and gender expression will be introduced. The importance of the practical element of the policy was universally accepted: “If there isn’t a commitment to training it runs the risk of just sitting on a shelf somewhere gathering dust.” It was stated that not every staff member of the college would be able to receive training for practical reasons, but training of “front line” and support staff such as tutors, counsellors and staff in the academic registry would be prioritised.

The Policy was approved the College Board on the 25th June 2014 and aims to protect students, staff and all visitors to College from discrimination based on their gender and/or sexuality, and aims to “provide an inclusive environment which promotes equality and values diversity”.