Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

[GenderPAC <>]

~ One-in-Three Report Harassment ~

WASHINGTON (September 24, 2007) --  The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition 
(GenderPAC) today announced findings of its first national campus climate 
survey focusing on how students are treated because of their gender identity 
and expression. 651 students from across the nation responded to the 2007 
GenderSAFE(TM) Survey, many sharing personal experiences of feeling unsafe or 
excluded because they didn't meet expectations for masculinity or femininity.

30% of student respondents have been harassed or discriminated against on 
campus because they didn't fit expectations of masculinity or femininity; 13% 
have been harassed for using gender-specific restrooms; and 25% have felt 
unsafe in campus housing. In addition, 1-in-4 students of color reported 
being harassed or discriminated against.

Said one student, "I've been loudly screamed at in a women's bathroom because 
someone decided I wasn't supposed to be there, and I've been leered at and 
yelled at on my way to work and class.  I've been told by administrators that 
my comfort was a marginal concern and that I was bringing any harassment on 
myself."

"You can't learn if you aren't safe," said Brittney Hoffman, GenderPAC's 
Campus Director. "Educators, administrators, and even student advocates need 
to be focusing on how to make campuses GenderSAFE -- supportive, protective, 
and equitable -- for all students, whether or not they fit expectations for 
masculinity or femininity."

Key Findings

* Overall, thirty percent of college students reported discrimination or 
harassment because they didn't fit expectations for masculinity and 
femininity.

* Two-thirds of students at schools without policies addressing gender 
identity and expression reported gender-based harassment, almost double that 
reported at schools with inclusive policies.

* One in eight students have been harassed in a campus restroom for not 
meeting expectations of masculinity or femininity.

* More than half (50.4%) of all students on campuses with no gender-neutral 
restrooms would feel safer if they were made available.

* One-quarter of students have felt unsafe in campus housing because they 
didn't fit expectations of masculinity or femininity.

* More than half (57%) would feel safer if the gender-neutral rooming options 
were available.

In its 2007 GENIUS Index, GenderPAC found nearly 150 colleges and 
universities have expanded their non-discrimination policies to explicitly 
include "gender identity and expression." More than 140 have made 
gender-neutral campus restrooms available, and 30 offer gender-neutral 
student housing options.  (The 2007 GENIUS Index is available in its entirety 
online at www.gpac.org/genius.)

The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition works to ensure that classrooms, 
communities, and workplaces are safe for everyone to learn, grow, and succeed 
-- whether or not they fit expectations for masculinity or femininity. To 
learn more about GenderPAC, visit www.gpac.org.

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