About ANSO

Students for Transgender

Inclusion
ANSO is the Association of Nordic
and Pol-Balt Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender and Queer Student
Organizations.

ANSO is an organization working in

the interest of LGBTQ students all
over the Nordic and Pol-Balt
regions.

ANSO fights discrimination based

on homophobia, biphobia and
transphobia in universities and aims
to increase the quality of higher education by fighting heteronormativity.

ANSO supports local student organizations so they can both be safe places for
LGBTQ students and be an important part of its local university community.

ANSO has member organizations in Denmark, Norway, Lithuania, Sweden, the

Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Poland and Estonia.

ANSO is member of IGLYO and ILGA.

The organization is supported by:

Location Contact

Mrtensdalsgatan 2-8 www.anso.dk

120 06 Stockholm info@anso.dk
Association of Nordic and Pol-Balt LGBTQ Student Organizations,
Sweden
ANSO

 Movies:

Orlando, 1992. dir. Sally Potter

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994. dir. Stephan Elliot

Students for Transgender Inclusion

Students for Transgender Inclusion

Ma Vie En Rose, 1997. dir. Alain Berliner

Boys Dont Cry, 1999. dir. Kimberly Peirce
All About My Mother (Todo Sombre Mi Madre), 1999. dir. Pedro Almodovar
Hermaphrodites Speak! 1999.
Billy Elliott, 2000. dir. Stephen Daldry
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 2001. dir. John Cameron Mitchell
Venus Boyz, 2001. dir. Gabriel Baur
Beautiful Boxer, 2003. dir. Ekachai Uekrongtham
Bad Education (Mala Educatin), 2004. dir. Pedro Almodovar
Breakfast on Pluto, 2005, dir. Neil Jordan
TransGeneration, 2005. dir. Goro Toshima
TransAmerica, 2005. dir. Duncan Tucker
A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story, 2006. dir. Agnieszka Holland
XXY, 2007. dir. Luca Puenzo

Websites:
European Transgender Network www.tgeu.org
Transgender Basics www.gaycenter.org/transgenderbasics
Gender Identity Project www.gaycenter.org/gip
Transfabulous www.transfabulous.co.uk
Press For Change www.pfc.org.uk
Psychology of Gender Identity and Transgenderism www.genderpsychology.org
Transe-Generation: web comic www.transe-generation.com
 Further reading Terminology

Books:
Biological sex, assigned at birth and stated in
your passport. Usually sub-divided into male
Pat Califia, Macho Sluts, 1988 Sex: or female.
Students for Transgender Inclusion

Students for Transgender Inclusion

Rose Tremain, Sacred Country, 1992
Kate Bornstein, My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man,
a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely, 1994
Leslie Feinberg, Stone Butch Blues, 1994
Daphne Scholinski, The Last Time I Wore A Dress, 1994
Gender is commonly used interchangeably
Minnie Bruce Pratt, S/he, 1995 with sex, but when sex refers to biology,
Leslie Feinberg, Transgender Warriors : Making History from Joan of Arc Gender: gender refers to e.g. gender roles and how
to Dennis Rodman, 1996 we behave, often referred to as social
constructs.
Kate Bornstein, Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women, and the Rest of Us,1997
Judith Halberstam, Female Masculinities, 1998
Del La Grace Volcano and Judith Jack Halberstam, The Drag King Book, 1999
John Colapinto, As Nature Made Him: The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl, 2000
A persons self-identified and self-perceived
Jeffrey Eugenides, Middlesex: A Novel, 2002 gender.
Kate Bornstein, Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Gender Might be e.g. female, male, intergender, etc.
Freaks and Other Outlaws, 2006 Identity:
Norah Vincent, Self-Made Man: One Woman's Journey into Manhood
and Back, 2006
Richard Ekins, Dave King The Transgender Phenomenon, 2006

How you express your gender through for

instance clothing, accessories, hair, voice or
Gender body language.
Expression: Might be masculine, feminine, both or
something else altogether.
 The desire for intimate emotional and/or sexual
relationships with people of the same, another
or multiple genders/sexes. (e.g. homosexual,
bisexual, heterosexual).
Sexual Transgender and cisgender people have any
Orientation: sexual orientation. Many confuse trans issues
with sexual orientation, which is incorrect
because they are connected to gender,
gender identity and/or gender
expression.
Students for Transgender Inclusion
Transgender people are individuals whose
gender expression and/or gender identity differs
from conventional expectations based on the
physical sex they were born into, and which
was registered for them juridically at birth. The
TRANS- word transgender is also an umbrella term
which is often used to describe a wide range of
gender, TG: identities and experiences, including
transsexuals, transgender people, intergender
people, cross-dressers, drag queens, drag kings
and many more.
Transgender people have any sexual
orientation.
The process by which one changes ones sex.
This may include surgery, hormone therapy,
Transition: and changes of legal status.
People whose gender identity and gender
expression are conforming to that of the
norm of the sex they were assigned at birth.
Cisgender:
Moreover, providing gender neutral restrooms could also make them more
inclusive for families, when parents would like to use the bathroom with children
who are differently gendered. Nevertheless, all the actions should be followed by
education and awareness raising campaigns.
But why not also build some single cabins, and make sure that the door
cover the entire cabin, and why not make sure that the locks work properly?
(Peeing in Peace 5). Moreover, it is claimed by the public that gender neutral
toilets would become dirty. However, as stated in Peeing In Peace () many
people live in mixed-gender homes and are able to share their home bathroom
with other members of the household with minimal problems (5). The skeptics
also argue that changes in the bathroom system would be complex because
people are used to the current system and they have been taught to use the
proper bathroom since they were children. But these are only habits, which
have been used for such a long time, that no one really reflects upon them
became obvious and universal. People learn how to behave and act, which
means that they can also unlearn and create new frames of behavior.
In conclusion, it is important to say that it has become quite obvious that
public restrooms are problematic for many groups in general and for transgender
as well as gender non-conforming people in particular. These rooms are unsafe
places where people are harassed, discriminated against, and exposed to
different types of mistreatments. This has enormous impact on transgender
people, and it influences their private and professional lives. Even though the
situation is quite complex and problematic, there are some steps which could be
taken in order to try to improve the situation. Solutions can range from very small
things to significant changes in structures, however, the most important thing is to
do something and react. In the end, it all comes down to making a change in
oneself and people around. By challenging norms and structures, step by step,
habits can be changed and mindsets can be reset in a new direction.
Cited works:
Gender Neutral Bathroom Survey. San Francisco Human Rights Commission. 2001. Web. 13
October 2009. <http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org/pdf/sbac_survey.pdf>.
Peeing in Peace: A Resource Guide for Transgender Activists and Allies. Transgender Law
Center. 2005. Web. 11 April 2009.
<http://www.transgenderlawcenter.org/publications.html#bathrooms>.
2010 M. Grzywnowicz
According to material produced by Transgender Law Center, [f]or example,
Person who identifies as, or desires to live and
transgender youth may be unable to complete school due to a lack of safe bathroom
be accepted as, a member of the gender
access. The Gender Neutral Bathroom Survey conducted by the San Francisco
toilet in 2001 describes cases where people are fired, are not opposite to that assigned at birth. Many
Human Rights Commission transsexuals also want to change their
able to use the bathroom for a long time and thus suffer physically, encounter troubles bodies. These physical changes are
80% of the time when they use the toilets, and even face treats of being killed (2). collectively known as sex reassignment
However, the situation is not hopeless thanks to a movement involved in so called TRANS- therapy and often include hormones and
bathroom activism. sexual, TS: sex reassignment surgery, SRS. References to
"pre-operative", "post-operative" and "non-
operative" transsexual people indicate

Students for Transgender Inclusion

Toilets have been in focus for many different civil movements and have been
actively used for fighting against discrimination as well as for gaining equal rights for whether they have had, or are planning to
have sex reassignment surgery. Some
various social groups. One of the well known examples of bathroom activism took
transsexual people do not identify as
place during the Civil Rights Movement in the United States when Afro Americans were
transgender and do not want to be
fighting to abolish segregation in restaurants, on busses, and in public bathrooms. associated with the trans movement.
Furthermore, when talking about emancipation of disabled people, a very similar
pattern could be seen. Activists working for equal rights of people with various abilities
had to also put energy into making sure that accessible toilets would be provided. An acronym for Male to Female. A person
Consequently, segregation based on ethnicity and (dis)ability could be compared to who was born a male but identifies as a
segregation based on gender, as it is governed by the same norms and the same MTF: female. The last word indicates the pronoun
mechanisms of discrimination. Segregated public restrooms create artificial you should use, an MtF wants to be
boundaries for people who are perceived to be so diverse and so different that they addressed she, her, hers.
should be kept apart in order not to cause potential confusion, fear, and discomfort.
However, as the mentioned examples show, even very complex situations can be
changed and prejudices challenged.
An acronym for Female to Male. A person
who was born a female but identifies as a
There are many ways to challenge problematic issues surrounding public
male. The last word indicates the pronoun
restrooms. Questioning the public bathroom structures and system is one of possible FTM: you should use, an FtM wants to be
ways to try to address the issue of harassment and discrimination of transgender addressed he, his.
people and also people with a non-conforming gender expression. It could be crucial
to ask questions such as [w]hy must we artificially divide the huge gender diversity
into two groups? Why is it so important that we relieve ourselves with only those who
are lumped into the same group as ourselves? What if we are not easily lumped into a
group? (Gender Neutral Bathroom Survey 4). It would be very helpful and
constructive to answer those questions honestly and move on to action. Person who more or less often, partially or
completely, dresses and behaves according
Cross-dresser to the opposite sex.
Creating gender neutral bathrooms would be the first step in providing a safer
space to pee for more people. It could limit uncomfortable situations when (Transvestite):
transgender people are questioned aggressively about their gender. It could help
avoid mean looks and comments targeted at gender variant people, who are often
accused of using the wrong toilet. It could also solve some of the technical
problems, such as long lines to the womens toilets.
 Person identifying between or beyond the
traditional genders, or choosing not to
Intergender: identify the gender identity at all.
Intergender is a type of a gender identity.
A general term used for a variety of
Students for Transgender Inclusion
conditions in which a person is born with a
reproductive or sexual anatomy that doesnt
seem to fit the typical definitions of female or
Intersex: male. Might be ambiguous genitalia or other
physical sexual characteristics
A person who identifies as both, man and
woman.
Bigender is a type of a gender identity.
BiGender:
The performance of one or multiple genders,
often theatrically. Its often used as a way to
show that masculinity and femininity can be
Drag: performed by any body regardless of sex
(e.g. drag king, drag queen, criss-crosser).
Challenging Public Toilets: Not Everyone Can Pee in Peace
Toilets are one of the most often used public facilities every day by many people.
It would be quite hard to disregard the necessity of having them accessible at least a
few times a day. People use them in any possible places such as schools, cinemas,
shopping centers, theatres and many other public arenas. Toilets are an integral and
unquestionable part of ones everyday life and accessibility to them seems to be taken
for granted. It became so obvious and almost instinctive that quite often it is forgotten
that, however, there are people who have difficulties accessing bathrooms because of
their gender, gender identity and/or gender expression.
Nowadays, when people face environmental dilemmas, wars, and economical
crisis, public restrooms could be seen as the last bastions of stability and safety. They are
designed to serve all the people. Nevertheless, these rooms also follow a specific logic
and set of rules. The regulations concerning restrooms are based on the sex of people
using them, resulting in the assumption that the users are men and women. One could
argue that because we have gotten our sex assigned at birth by doctors, therefore, it is
true and there is nothing more obvious and stable. In consequence, creating a sense of
security and a sense of belonging to specific groups.
However, there is a group of people who struggle everyday when using public
toilets. Public restrooms are not friendly places for those who do not fit in a binary
gender system or do not follow a traditional code of clothing associated with a specific
gender, which automatically locates them outside of the accepted majority. This
creates difficulties and sometimes dangerous situations. Transgender2, as well as non-
transgender people who do not conform to the gender norms often face harassment
and discrimination in toilets. In a 2002 survey conducted by the San Francisco Human
Rights Commission, nearly 50% of respondents reported having been harassed or
assaulted in a public bathroom (Peeing In Peace 3). This shows how problematic the
situation is. What might seem to be even more alarming here is that there is no
reasonable explanation for the harassment, apart from prejudice and transphobia.
This unreasonable fear of different groups of people who are perceived as the
others in society due to various characteristics, results in discrimination, which
sometimes have serious consequences for the oppressed. Being harassed in a public
restroom because of ones gender, gender expression and/or identity is yet another part
of a larger process suppressing transgender people. It adds to difficulties of accessing
health care, education, and the labor market.
 Usually female bodied or identified people
playing with masculine gender expressions, as
an act or political strategy.
Drag King: Can be, but is usually not an identity but a
behavior.

Students for Transgender Inclusion

Usually male bodied or identified people
playing with feminine gender expressions, as
an act or political strategy.
Drag Queen: Can be, but is usually not an identity but a
behavior.

The assumption that everyone is heterosexual.

It assumes also that there are only two
genders/sexes, men and women, and that
men should be masculine and women
Hetero- should be feminine. It supposes that these
normativity: two genders attract and complete each
other and that this is the only normal and
wanted way to live.
FROM THE EDITOR
It is crucial to make
toilets accessible for
all people. Why not
challenge the binary to
gender system with An umbrella term which attempts to
inclusive toilet signs?
embrace a matrix of sexual preferences,
You can do them yo gender presentations, and habits of those
urself! The only thing
you need is creativit who may not exclusively be heterosexual,
y!
Above you will find an monogamous, and gender normative. Under
example of such a toi
ANSO at every even let sign, which is use this umbrella, one might include lesbians, gay
d by
t. Queer: men, bisexuals, transgender and intersex
people.
If you would like to rec
eive a digital version It is also a theory, which is a critical
info@anso.dk of it, please contact
us at perspective on heteronormativity.

Refers to fear of, aversion to, or discrimination
against transgender people, or people who
transgress (or are perceived to transgress)
Transphobia: norms of gender, gender identity or gender
expression.
Students for Transgender Inclusion
TRANSPHOBIA: Negative emotions and attitudes towards people who
break the concept of how one should look, be and act as
a woman or a man. The notion comes from a fear that
the idea of only two opposite sexes and one authentic
way of being a man or a woman will be challenged.
HETERONORMATIVITY: The concept that there are only two opposite
sexes, that men should be masculine and women feminine and that this is
the natural and most desirable way to be. It is also

the notion that you should fall in love with someone of

the opposite sex.

Students for Transgender Inclusion

If you challenge heter
onormativity, you ma
(and homophobia). y experience transp
Refers to irrational fear of, aversion to, or Few people live their hobia
boundaries of heteron wh ole life within the
discrimination against homosexual people. It ormativity. The borde
you dont look, act or rs are broken every tim
is sometimes hard to distinguish between behave as a proper e
Homophobia: homophobia and transphobia as many woman. It might be man or a proper
a woman, who has
transgender people suffer from homophobia more suitable for me a job that is conside
n, it might be a man red to be
as incorrectly associated with being considered to be fem whose hair style is
inine or it might be a
homosexual on a basis of their gender language is conside woman whose body
red to be masculine
expression/identity. there is a big risk tha . If you over cross the
t you will face seriou border
happens when you s consequences. Thi
violate the rules in a s often
disobey in many wa very visible way or if
ys at the same time. you
only result in taunt Having a wrong job
while wearing a skirt might
a male body might and make up when
result in violence. No having
assigned at birth is als t identifying with the
o considered provoca sex
For instance hir or ze/zie. These pronouns can tive for some people
Gender be used when speaking or referring to people
since it challenges the
notion that identity an
certain way and/or d body shall match
in a
Neutral who do not identify as male or female, or if
female. Some peop
that it is only possible
to identify as a male
you do not want to decide the gender of le cross over the boun or a
Pronoun: every day in very vis
ible ways, for instance
daries of heteronorm
ativity
somebody. by having a gender
expression that doesn
t fit in the framework
express gender. Some of how you should
people might identify
transgender and som themselves as
e also see disobeying
way to make society to the gender norms
more open, others jus as a
common lives as po t want to live as
ssible.
In a society without
heteronormativity no
of being made fun of, one would have to be
harassed or exposed afraid
having a certain ge to violence because
nder identity, gender of
Everyone would be expression or sex/gen
respected and unde der.
rights and possibilities. rstood and have the
same

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