2008 Woodie Awards
The gender discussion is now
Adrian Shanker
Issue date: 11/29/07 Section: Op/Ed
There has been much talk throughout the past semester on the 50th anniversary of coeducation at Muhlenberg. The homecoming football game featured past homecoming queens, there is a meticulously well done "Muhlenberg Women's History" display in Trexler Library, there have been articles about it in past editions of The Weekly and this is certainly an important anniversary of a major breakthrough in the College's history. But co-education was the mere beginning and far from the end of breaking through the gender line at Muhlenberg.
Our obsession with the 50th anniversary of coeducation is, I believe, misguided. It would be productive to see the administration channeling its anniversary celebration into breaking through our current gender line at Muhlenberg. We are so stuck in the false mindset that gender is a binary, and that heterosexuality is normative that we are celebrating 50 years of admitting women into college. Before you skip the rest of this article and write me off as a complete radical, take this into consideration: we are celebrating the basic right to nondiscrimination based on gender - I believe we can do even better.
Instead of reminiscing about 50 years ago, we should be moving forward into lively discussion surrounding new initiatives to break the gender binary on campus. Whether you are Male, Female, or none of the above (or any combination) - gender effects and oppresses us all. Men are confined to hegemonic masculinity, where men are told to be aggressive, athletic, strong and masculine. Women are confined to a patriarchal vision of femininity where they are told to be wear makeup, be pretty, slim, well dressed and to conform to societal standards of femininity. Those who are neither male nor female aren't event considered and are seen by many as non-existent. Muhlenberg can do better.
We already have a gender-identity inclusive non-discrimination statement - but that too was a beginning not an end. The President should move forward with the Gay Straight Alliance sponsored (Student Council endorsed) proposal for Gender Neutral Housing on campus; single-person lockable all-gender bathrooms should be added to the new Seegers Union renovations; Muhlenberg should publicly strive to be a gender-safe campus where students who are different can want to be here.
While we are busy celebrating a 50 year old anniversary of women coming to the College, we are falling behind over 30 Gender-safe campus institutions nationwide that have endorsed gender neutral housing and bathroom options. Let's have something to celebrate for the next 50 years. Let's wake up and smell the gender oppression at home.
Our obsession with the 50th anniversary of coeducation is, I believe, misguided. It would be productive to see the administration channeling its anniversary celebration into breaking through our current gender line at Muhlenberg. We are so stuck in the false mindset that gender is a binary, and that heterosexuality is normative that we are celebrating 50 years of admitting women into college. Before you skip the rest of this article and write me off as a complete radical, take this into consideration: we are celebrating the basic right to nondiscrimination based on gender - I believe we can do even better.
Instead of reminiscing about 50 years ago, we should be moving forward into lively discussion surrounding new initiatives to break the gender binary on campus. Whether you are Male, Female, or none of the above (or any combination) - gender effects and oppresses us all. Men are confined to hegemonic masculinity, where men are told to be aggressive, athletic, strong and masculine. Women are confined to a patriarchal vision of femininity where they are told to be wear makeup, be pretty, slim, well dressed and to conform to societal standards of femininity. Those who are neither male nor female aren't event considered and are seen by many as non-existent. Muhlenberg can do better.
We already have a gender-identity inclusive non-discrimination statement - but that too was a beginning not an end. The President should move forward with the Gay Straight Alliance sponsored (Student Council endorsed) proposal for Gender Neutral Housing on campus; single-person lockable all-gender bathrooms should be added to the new Seegers Union renovations; Muhlenberg should publicly strive to be a gender-safe campus where students who are different can want to be here.
While we are busy celebrating a 50 year old anniversary of women coming to the College, we are falling behind over 30 Gender-safe campus institutions nationwide that have endorsed gender neutral housing and bathroom options. Let's have something to celebrate for the next 50 years. Let's wake up and smell the gender oppression at home.