Title IX and Transgender Students
MCC provides a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students, including transgender students. The College recognizes a failure to treat students consistent with their gender identity may create or contribute to a hostile environment in violation of Title IX. Harassment that targets a student based on gender identity, transgender status, or gender transition is harassment based on sex, and the College will enforce Title IX accordingly by taking prompt and effective steps to end the harassment, prevent its recurrence, and, as appropriate, remedy its effects.
Definitions
Gender identity - refers to an individual's internal sense of gender. A person's gender identity may be different from or the same as the person's sex assigned at birth.
Sex assigned at birth - refers to the sex designation recorded on an infant's birth certificate should such a record be provided at birth.
Transgender - describes those individuals whose gender identity is different from the sex they were assigned at birth. A transgender male is someone who identifies as male but was assigned the sex of female at birth; a transgender female is someone who identifies as female but was assigned the sex of male at birth.
Gender transition - refers to the process in which transgender individuals begin asserting the sex that corresponds to their gender identity instead of the sex they were assigned at birth. During gender transition, individuals begin to live and identify as the sex consistent with their gender identity and may dress differently, adopt a new name, and use pronouns consistent with their gender identity. Transgender individuals may undergo gender transition at any stage of their lives, and gender transition can happen swiftly or over a long duration of time.
Laws Which Prohibit and May Be Used to Redress Discrimination against Transgender Students
Students may turn to federal and state statutes for remedy to gender identity discrimination and harassment:
Federal Laws
- United States Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment
- Title IX
- Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Guidance, May 13, 2016 "Dear Colleague" Letter (DCL)
State Law
- Illinois Human Rights Act
Additional Information
When in doubt of how an individual is identifying, ask. Questions to ask:
- How would you like to be addressed?
- My name is Bob. What is your name?
- Tips for Instructors
- Present a Sign-in sheet asking for first and last name and ID (if necessary). Use this list for roll call.
- Call last names from the class roster instead of first names.
- Include message in the web link associated with MCC's Syllabus Addendum link, encouraging students to privately meet with faculty to inform them of how they, as related to their first name and pronouns, want to be addressed in class and other departments around the College.
Individuals who believe they have experienced harassment or discrimination prohibited by the statements above are encouraged to contact the Vice President of Student Affairs in the Student Affairs Office, A252.