The University of Vermont has officially recognized a third gender: neutral.
What does this mean?
This means that UVM has set the stage for universities far and wide in terms of how to approach the issue of gender identity. Now, students of the university are allowed to personally select their own identity, regardless of whether or not their name has been legally changed. They also have the option of choosing a pronoun for themselves, such as the gender neutral “ze” or “they”, for example.
And why does it matter?
Gender identity is often lost behind the issue of sexual orientation, as it is a common misconception that being transgendered goes along with the idea of being gay or lesbian. However, these are two completely different concepts. Recognizing this third gender can help bring this misconception to the forefront and further educate people about what being of a neutral gender actually means.
This is also important to the morale of the transgendered community. Because people have a hard time identifying anything outside of the easily recognized boy or girl identity, the people of this third gender are not given the attention or serious consideration that they deserve. Now that UVM has officially made third pronouns an option, the transgendered community feels that they are finally being heard in their environment.
Rocko Gieselman, a transgendered UVM student, laid it out for us in her New York Times interview: “It’s like a constant coming-out process, educating those around you that there is a gender binary, and this is what it means to identify outside of it”. The step UVM has chosen to take in recognizing a third gender can make the education process that much easier for students like Rocko.
Now that the University of Vermont has taken action, it is expected that other institutions around the nation will follow suit. By doing so, we can help to demystify our strict ideas about gender identity and create communities of acceptance and understanding. After all, college is the place to mature and learn, and the main goal of any institution should be to foster just that.