By Idil Herzi
Wilfrid Laurier University’s Rainbow Centre is currently hosting transgendered awareness week, which is being held in the Concourse from Nov. 16 to 20.
The goal of the campaign is to educate the Laurier community about the history of transgendered people and to encourage students to be open and comfortable with discussing and seeking assistance about transgendered issues.
“Some people think that trans is something that doesn’t really affect them. They think its not part of their community and it doesn’t affect their lives,” said the second-year psychology student and Rainbow Centre executive volunteer co-ordinator Jocelyne Faubert Tetreault.
“We’re just trying to show people how it can affect them,” she continued.
A transgendered person is someone who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one that corresponds to the person’s sex at birth.
“They have existed all throughout history. They’ve been respected and honored; it’s not like today where people refer to trans as weird or something they don’t know about,” said Faubert Tetreault.
This week, Rainbow Centre volunteers and co-ordinators are hoping to disintegrate any apprehension students may have about transgendered individuals and to come into the resource centre and seek assistance.
“All our policies reference no exceptions about anybody under any circumstance. It’s still hard, some people think [they’re making] some sort of statement by coming in [to the Rainbow Centre],” added Faubert Tetreault.
Commenting about the accessibility of the trans awareness booth in the Concourse, Faubert Tetreault said that she hopes students will take the opportunity to learn more about the trans community in a casual environment.
“This is a way we could make this information it more accessible. Because of this, people who didn’t come in the centre will still learn about trans.”
