Steinhardt Affirms Trans and Gender Expansive Communities
NYU has not always stood in solidarity with the Trans and LGBTQ+ community — it is a history that we are not proud of. However, we would like to take this
Transgender Day of Remembrance/Resilience to acknowledge our past ignorance and neglect in hopes of continuing to do better by all members of our community.
We at NYU Steinhardt recognize that gender identity includes more than the traditional western binary of man and woman, and that gender diversity encompasses
a spectrum of people and identities, including trans, nonbinary, two spirit, and others. A person’s gender identity reflects their own sense of self, whether or not they were assigned male, female, or intersex. Steinhardt stands with our trans and gender expansive students, staff, administrators, faculty, researchers, alums, and other members of the broader communities we serve while promising to continuously work towards allyship and solidarity.
As a community committed to social justice, we understand that support of the trans community must be intersectional — uplifting the voices of all trans and gender-expansive people. With this, we stand firmly against any statements and/or actions intended to invalidate, harm, erase, and oppress people’s identities and lives; it is not, and never has been, anyone’s right to define another person’s existence or lived experience.
We, therefore, urge everyone to
refer to all people by their pronouns and names, as we commit ourselves as Steinhardt’s student and administrative leaders to creating safe and supportive environments for gender expansive people. We do this by broadening access for everyone to facilities, activities, and programs that are consistent with their gender identities, and, where possible, providing gender-neutral options, such as the gender-neutral restroom on the second floor of Pless, for individuals who would prefer to use them. More specifically, our Office of Equity, Belonging, and Community Action will be partnering with members of our trans community to provide safe spaces for dialogue and community action that allow for intellectual freedom as well as safety for all members of our community.
A simple and important way for you to join our call to action is by using pronouns in your
Zoom display names and
email signatures. This small but revolutionary act of service helps to acknowledge the personhood of gender expansive individuals, not only as a way to say that they matter, but also as a way to reassure those who are most vulnerable to social, physical, and cultural violence that they are safe, seen, and loved. And while they may be willing, gender expansive people should not have to carry the heavy burden of continuously reminding others to remember their names and proper or desired ways of address.
This is, instead, the work of every individual — work to which we must constantly commit ourselves. This does not mean that we won’t make mistakes; rather it means that we must stretch both our hearts and our heads so that we do not allow ourselves to easily forget.
For more information about events and about how to get involved, please visit the
NYU Events Calendar, the
NYU LGBTQ+ Center webpage, and the
GLSEN's list of resources centering trans and gender expansive students and educators. For additional support, please email
askaboutequity@nyu.edu to reach the Steinhardt Office of Equity, Belonging, and Community Action.
Jack H. Knott, Dean
Graduate Student Organization (GSO)
Undergraduate Student Government (USG)
Delmy M. Lendof, Associate Dean for Student Affairs
Ilana Intonato, Chief Information Officer
LaRue Allen, Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs
Kristie Patten, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs
Elise Cappella, Vice Dean for Research
Rebecca Brandriff, Vice Dean for Finance and Administration
David E. Kirkland, Vice Dean for Equity, Belonging, and Community Action