By Michael Purtell
A full-slate of events filled the calendar as SUNY Plattsburgh brought Trans Day of Visibility to campus March 31.
The holiday events were organized by a wide range of groups, including student organization Alpha Psi Omega. SUNY Plattsburgh’s Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Title IX office and Gender and Women’s Studies department also hosted alongside the Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance.
Events were planned from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and included informative panels aimed at people unfamiliar with the trans experience, as well as presentations aimed at trans individuals to help them directly, like the Post-College Survival Guide presentation by Plattsburgh Alumna, Justice Hall.
“Trans Day of Visibility is designed to highlight and amplify these important voices while also educating people about the challenges, barriers, overt and covert discrimination and bias that the transgender community faces,” wrote Allison Heard, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, in an email.
A TIMELY CELEBRATION
Plattsburgh hosted the workshops and panels in a time where the rights of Transgender Americans are in the center of political debate.
“Transgender Day of Visibility is always important, but especially so in our current political climate. Trans people are being actively discriminated against both socially and through legislation,” wrote Reg Sutphen, an event organizer and member of Alpha Psi Omega, in an email.
“Having a national day to celebrate the visibility of trans people makes it a lot easier for people like me to feel accepted in their own identities.”
The event creates an opportunity to deepen conversations around transgender rights by putting local, human faces to the transgender community.
“Cisgender people need to SEE transgender people — we all need to see each other — and we must start to see that we all have a responsibility to challenge trans erasure and make trans struggles visible. It is a matter of life and death,” said Dr. Kolleen Duley, Plattsburgh assistant professor of gender and women’s study.
AN EARLY END
The final two events of the night, a networking MXER and a reception were canceled, meaning celebrations ended at 2:30 p.m. rather than the planned 7 p.m.
“I deeply regret that MXER had to be canceled as it was something I was very passionate about,” Sutphen wrote. “Due to a heavy workload and limited resources, we were unable to organize it in a way that would truly do the event justice. While I took responsibility for planning, it became clear that additional support and resources were needed for its success.”
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
With a diverse set of events going on, “participation varied throughout the day,” Heard said. Engagement by students and staff was impacted in part due to the regular day of classes, but the event was organized knowing this, and did not deter Plattsburgh from “planning a robust day of events to offer the campus and community.”
Some students who did attend said “there were some organizational and communication challenges that impacted the experience for attendees,” according to Sutphen.
“Moving forward, I think stronger collaboration and better communication will be key to ensuring that future events better reflect the needs of the campus community,” Sutphen wrote.
PLATTSBURGH’S COMMITMENT
As national opinions surrounding DEI and trans rights shift, Plattsburgh continues to keep conversations going.
“These topics are important for our community to address. SUNY Plattsburgh remains committed to promoting and advocating for our values around diversity, equity and inclusion. We are not scaling back on our efforts to promote the values of dignity and respect that must be afforded to all students, employees, and our community members,” wrote Heard. “We are not scaling back on the commitment that we have made to every member of our community.“
