Panel discusses transgender rights

Students wanting to impact legislation on transgender rights can do so at 7 p.m. today through a panel discussion in the Indiana Memorial Union Maple Room.\nThe panel discussion is part of a project by three students in S352: Social Welfare Delivery Systems, a class in the IU School of Social Work, said junior Jeremy Forcier, who is in the class.\nLecturer Bruce McCallister said the assignment was meant for students to come up with a project that would influence state policy.\nJunior Brooke Crider said her group decided to focus on transgender rights because many of them had friends who were transgendered.\n“A lot of people don’t advocate for (transgender rights) and people aren’t aware of it,” Forcier said. \nForcier said the discussion will specifically focus on House Bill 1076, which is still being considered. \nThe bill is meant to increase the penalties for people who are convicted of committing hate crimes, Forcier said. \nHB 1076 does not yet include harsher punishments for people who commit hate crimes against transgender individuals, Forcier said. The students want to ensure people who are transgendered are included in the bill, he said.\n“This legislation impacts the whole community,” Forcier said. \nThe event will include panelists from the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, who will share their experience of being transgender, Crider said.\nForcier said the panelists are meant to familiarize attendees with people who are transgender and the issues that impact them. \nMcCallister said he did not know a lot about transgender rights prior to the group starting on the project. \n“I’ve learned a lot from them,” McCallister said. \nAfter the discussion, attendees will have the opportunity to write a letter in support of transgender rights to their representatives, Forcier said. Both Forcier and Crider encourage everyone to come to the discussion to learn about transgender rights in a “non-threatening environment” where people can openly ask questions. \n“We should hope that the students are more aware of their community (after the event),” Forcier said.