Friday March 24, 2023
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Meeting Both In-Person and by Zoom
Dampeer Room, Second Floor of Kelvin Smith Library*
Case Western Reserve University
Dear Colleagues:
Policies in regard to transgender Americans have received more and more attention over the past few decades. That is partly due to the “remarkable rise of transgender rights,” including statutory nondiscrimination provisions at the state and local levels, hate crimes protection in a number of states, and inclusion in federal law against hate crimes. But it is also due to a fierce backlash from Christian conservatives and much of the Republican party. A recent Pew poll showed that 38% of the public replied that greater acceptance of transgender people is somewhat or very good for society, with 32% saying it is somewhat or very bad. But there was a huge partisan difference. Republicans viewed greater acceptance negatively by 54 to 15%, while Democrats viewed it positively, 59-13%. Whether out of true revulsion or as a tactic to motivate much of their Christian conservative base, Republicans have promoted a wide range of restrictive legislation. 2021, CNN reported, was “a record-breaking year for anti-transgender legislation [that] would affect minors the most.” At the end of 2022 the New York Times reported that “Transgender Americans Feel Under Siege as Political Vitriol Rises,” adding that, “Language about pedophiles and ‘grooming’ of young children has intensified a movement… that seeks to turn transgender people into a political wedge.”
In spite of a more generally positive attitude towards transgender persons over time, there are issues for which the conservative attack resonates with larger sections of public opinion. One is the idea that transgender athletes (which normally means those assigned male at birth who have transitioned to female, so trans women) should not be able to compete in school sports as the gender with which they identify. Another is the bathroom issue, whether trans persons should be allowed to use the public restroom (usually in schools) that fits their self-identification, as opposed to their sex as assigned at birth. In this case the conservative attack has moved public opinion, from 35 percent in one report supporting conservative “bathroom bills” in 2016 to 52% supporting that restrictive legislation in 2022. In each of these cases there is an argument about effects on cisgender people (those who define themselves in accord with their gender assigned at birth): about biologically unfair competition in sports, and about alleged dangers to cis women on the theory that allowing trans women to enter bathrooms might make it easier for cis men to enter as well.
Other issues in which increased acceptance of trans persons may not apply to the specifics include teaching about gender (in an accepting way) in schools and treatment of youths for gender dysphoria, which logically leads to questions about whether minors should be able to choose treatment such as with hormones or surgery, and the role of government in funding or allowing such treatment. As the number of youths seeking care has risen, there has also been more visible uncertainty among physicians about the bounds and standards for treatment.
Issues about government treatment of trans persons seem likely to only get hotter over the next few years. On the one hand, it just looks like a good issue for conservatives. On the other, it inflames passions on the left in the other direction, as in the boiling controversy about J.K. Rowling’s statements.
So maybe it makes sense to step back and try to clarify some aspects of the issues. This begins with the extent to which being transgender is about sexual preference, and so even belongs on the same dimension as the LGB parts of LGBT. After all, Amy Schneider – the trans woman who famously became an all-time Jeopardy champion last year – is married to a woman. What are the dimensions of gender identity, and how can they be known? Even as public debate generates an alphabet soup of terms, we should realize that the physical and social aspects of gender (e.g. equipment, chromosomes, hormone levels) have always included more combinations than a simple male/female and bi/straight framework would allow. What should we consider when looking at the current policy and political battles? In an era dominated by identity politics, how might we understand these very politicized identities?
I’m very glad that Angela Clark-Taylor is willing to lead a careful and respectful discussion of these issues. Please join us.
In-Person and Virtual Attendance
In order to make it easy for people to protect themselves and still participate, the meetings can be attended on Zoom. Participants can register for each meeting in the same way they did for the past two years. The link is posted below.
The discussion begins at 12:30 p.m., but the room should be open no later than Noon. We try to have beverages and refreshments set up soon after that. Participants should be able to sign on to Zoom also by Noon. But please remember not much will be happening online until the talk begins at 12:30 pm. Please also be prepared to show identification when entering Kelvin Smith Library.
Zoom participants should speak up when asked for questions or comments, or submit thoughts through Zoom’s chat function. Please keep yourself muted until you are choosing to speak.
Each week we will send out this newsletter with information about the topic. It will also include a link to register (for free) for the discussion. When you register, you will automatically receive from the Zoom system the link to join the meeting. If you do not get the newsletter, you should also be able to get the information each Monday by checking http://fridaylunch.case.edu Then if you choose you can use the contact form on that website to request the registration link.
This week’s Zoom link for registration is:
https://cwru.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ocu2hrTMtHNXRAJVzwFrrMvjxnJTBEumx
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Please also e-mail padg@case.edu if you have questions about arrangements or any suggestions. Or call at 216 368-2426 and we’ll try to get back to you. We are very pleased to be partnering this semester with the Siegal Lifelong Learning Program to share information about the discussions.
Best wishes for safety and security for you and yours,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies
About Our Guest
Dr. Angela Clark-Taylor is a scholar-practitioner with 15 years experience in community agencies and higher education. Currently she serves as the Director of the Flora Stone Mather Center for Women at Case Western Reserve University. Previously she served as the Director of the Center for Women & Gender Equity and Founding Director of the Violence Prevention Center at Bowling Green State University; Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Counseling at the University of Redlands; and Program Manager of the Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies at the University of Rochester.
Dr. Clark-Taylor’s research centers on the relationship between three intersecting foci: the impact of gender-based trauma on individuals and systems; critical theories contribution to community engagement for social change; and expanding the use of interdisciplinary epistemologies and methodologies through community-based research. Her scholarship has been recognized by the American Education Research Association committee for Research on Women and has been published in the Journal for Higher Education Outreach and Engagement, Violence Against Women, and the NASPA Journal About Women and Gender in Higher Education.
* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.
Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:
Note: We are still working to create the schedule for the semester. In addition to the programs listed below, a few others are nearly arranged. Please contact me at joseph.white@case.edu to suggest other topics – especially if you can suggest speakers!
March 31: The Electricity Grid of the Future: Challenges and Opportunities. With Kenneth A. Loparo, Ph.D., Arthur L. Parker Endowed Professor Emeritus, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering.
April 7: TBD
April 14: TBD
April 21: TBD
April 28: China. With Paul E. Schroeder Ph.D., longtime Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science. |
