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Bloomington-- Gender-nonconforming, transgender, and intersex people and their allies at all Indiana University campuses are being sought to complete a survey sponsored by the Indiana University Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Alumni Association (IU GLBTAA). In addition to students, faculty and staff, alumni are encouraged to participate.

The survey covers such topics as personal safety, healthcare, housing, personal counseling, career counseling, university records, locker rooms and bathrooms, social environment, and university curriculum. The survey is available online at www.indiana.edu/~glbtaa.

"In the past decade, 'transgender' has become an umbrella term applied to a wide variety of people who don't seem to conform to, or who don't identify with, societal norms in terms of their gender identity or expression," says IU GLBTAA board member Bryan Sirtosky, who chairs the committee that created the survey. "The term can apply to people who are simply gender-atypical, androgynous or "genderqueer," as well as to transsexuals, some intersex people, cross-dressers, drag queens, and 'two-spirit' people from cultural traditions, such as the Navajo, which recognize more than two gender categories."

Among IU GLBTAA's purposes, says fellow committee member John Clower, are "to support and encourage a positive social and academic environment throughout the university for GLBT alumni, students, faculty and staff and to develop programs that will support current GLBT students."

"We're fortunate on the IU-Bloomington campus," says Clower, "to have comprehensive, high-quality clinical services for trans people through the Kinsey Institute Sexual Health Clinic as well as bias-incident teams that gather and act on complaints of harassment and discrimination. And we have a trans-positive GLBT Student Support Services office. But we need to know more about the full range of trans people's experiences on campus, including on the regional campuses."

"We want to hear the good stories, the bad stories, and the in-between," says IU GLBTAA board president Kim Davis. "With survey data in hand, we'll be in a stronger position to advocate for any improvements that would affect recruitment, retention rates and the academic success of trans people at IU."