Last semester, the Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Straight, Bisexual, Asexual( GLTSBA) group put its plan to get gender neutral housing on campus into action. Gender neutral housing permits students to live in a multi-occupancy suite with other students regardless of how they identify in terms of gender.
GLTSBA members and their advisors met with the Dean of Students, Stephanie Russell-Krebs, and a representative from Residence Life to discuss the details of this potential change, according to Russell-Krebs.
“Essentially, our first meetings every semester talk about the residence halls because so many freshmen, especially in the fall, have issues when they move into the residence halls,” said Christian Reich, the president of GLTSBA and senior new media productions major. “They struggle with coming out to their roommates, things like that, and they feel like they should know but they’re afraid of being kind of rejected or isolated in what’s supposed to be a safe place.” With gender neutral housing, for example, a gay male student could choose to live with a female friend or a straight male friend with whom they’re comfortable.
Russell-Krebs assisted GLTSBA by emailing other Florida colleges and universities to find out whether they have gender neutral housing and what their policies on the housing option are. University of South Florida, New College, Johnson and Wales and Miami University have gender neutral housing on their campuses, according to the Human Rights Campaign website.
In addition to Russell-Krebs’ research, Residence Life is going to review its annual survey that students take in the spring, Russell-Krebs said. The survey will include a question that will determine whether there is a need from the student body for gender neutral housing. Students will be able to fill out the survey on March 3 until March 21.
“It affects a lot more things than just where you put people. It affects the pricing of housing and availability of space also. And so anytime there is something that deals with a lot of money, they obviously have to approve of it,” Reich said.
If any unmarried or married man and woman cohabitate together in a lewdly and lasciviously way, then they’re guilty of a misdemeanor and have to pay a $500 fine, according to Florida Statute 798.02. Since it is illegal for such opposite-sex people to live together, the administration and GLTSBA want to find a way to be in accordance with the law.
The ideal rooming situation for gender neutral housing would be, for example, a room in the Straz Residence Hall with a common area and four individual rooms.
“I think that it would be a good idea. In my case, one of my best friends is a girl and she had an open room last semester,” said Michael Castelli, a sophomore finance major. “I wanted to move into that room but I couldn’t because I’m a guy, and she’s a girl. So, I mean, there are people that do have that relationships that are just friends with another gender.”
Jordan Beardslee, a sophomore marine biology major, said that she isn’t opposed to gender neutral housing being an option for other people, but she doesn’t know if it would be something that she would choose.
“I don’t know that I would do it necessarily just because I have a boyfriend. But yeah, I have no problem with people living together regardless of gender and stuff,” Beardslee said.
Reich stresses that gender neutral housing wouldn’t only benefit LGBT students.“I have a small group of friends where it’s me, my current roommate who is male and then two other friends who are female. And we wanted to get a room in Straz together, but we couldn’t do that, and so we were forced off campus because we didn’t have two other guys to live with.”
GLTSBA members plan to meet with Student Government to formulate a proposal on how gender neutral housing will work on campus. They plan to also work with Residence Life to have a proper plan to implement gender neutral housing for the 2015-2016 school year. For it to become a reality, the Board of Trustees and President Ronald Vaughn need to approve the plan.
Zoe Fowler can be reached at zoe.fowler@theminaretonline.com