USF Heads Toward Gender-Neutral Dorms!

University of South Florida has just announced that they are beginning to implement gender-neutral housing options for it’s students.

In the spring, the school will launch a pilot program offering several gender-neutral dorm rooms, where anybody of any gender can live with anybody else.

USF believes it’s the first in Florida to do that. The test program will offer eight to 10 spots for students who want to live with another student of a different gender.

The students will have to already know their preferred roommates. Rooming with romantic partners will be discouraged. And as far as USF is concerned, parents won’t have a say in the decision, just like they don’t have the right to be notified about students’ grades.

USF is considered the first Florida University to offer a gender-neutral dorm room option for its transgender students.

The full Tampa Bay Times article can be read here:

TNT would like to personally thank Taylor McCue for hir hard work in trying to make USF more accepting of trans students.

Sensationalism?

Also, the downside of this story, is how it was handled by Tampa Bay Times.  Trans issues should not be treated with the sensationalism that they evidenced in putting Taylor on the cover of their paper, with “GENDER BENDER” slapped over it in huge letters.  I consider Taylor to be a friend.  Not only have they tried to piggyback trans tropes onto what should have been great news for incoming trans students, treated Taylor like ze is some kind of freakshow.  It has also outed Taylor not only to the entire campus, but to the entire city.  Having spoken to hir the past few days, she is mortified and embarrassed.

So thank you USF for realizing that trans students have needs too, and that you’re making small steps to see those needs are met.  Tampa Bay Times, however, should really reconsider how they write their articles.  Having worked for a major newspaper in the past, I know it’s all about selling issues, but how about some journalistic integrity, hm?