By Mahelate Solomon
Last month, University of Maryland’s Student Government Association granted the University Health Center $1,500 towards providing trans and queer students gender affirming products. Now the Health Center is looking for student input towards how these funds should be distributed.
Products include chest binders, which aim to compress or flatten breast tissue, and tucking materials, which work to hide male sex organs, to help affirm someone’s presenting gender with their gender identity.
In a recent Instagram post by the Health Center, students were given an opportunity to provide insights on how the newly granted funds should be allocated.
In a survey linked in the caption of the post, respondents were asked about their own experience with tucking and binding and their concerns regarding the implementation of the initiative. Students were also asked to rank their priority for the funds between in-person programming, product distribution and educational materials.
“We decided our first step was to gather student input to best assess community and campus needs,” says Health Center intern Theo Ng.
Ng, who created the survey, says they received over 120 responses from community members inquiring more information regarding the initiative, as well as some looking for on-campus resources for trans-identifying students.
Ng worked alongside Health Center employees and fellow interns to ensure that the community was given proper information regarding the safe use of gender-affirming products on campus.
“The survey results point to wanting product as a main priority with spending the funds, but [the Health Center] has been really vocal about promoting those educational materials,” Ng said.
When reviewing the feedback from the survey, Ng recounted viewing a respondent’s concerns regarding safe use of gender affirming products.
“There’s this element of desperation that they’re willing to ignore the safety issues for the sake of feeling affirmed,” Ng recalled. “I think that’s a great place for the Health Center to step in to see where we can find that balance between ‘we want you to feel affirmed, we want you to have accessible materials, and, we want you to be safe too.’”
The grants were created in the summer of 2022 when former SGA Director of Communications Muntaha Haq teamed up with former Off-campus Outlying Representative Bethlehem Amdetsyon, to propose legislation towards providing students with gender-affirming products through the school’s budget.
“I first learned about a binder initiative from smaller universities, as well as NYU, and I feel it is such a beneficial initiative for all universities,” said Haq.
After the Health Center said it was able to affirm distribution, the bill passed by 23 votes in November 2022, according to Amdetsyon.
“Passing through [legislature] wasn’t something that I worried about too much.Everyone within the legislator was also very supportive of the initiative and of my idea,” said Amdetsyon.
Although the grant has helped supplement the Health Center with funding towards the cause, Ng reflects that there are still limitations to what the program can afford.
“[The Health Center] understand[s] that having $1,500 is not going to buy unlimited … gender affirming supplies for everybody,” Ng said. “So with potential frustration over the scarcity, it’s important to really advocate for yourself, and your community.”
Along with the Health Center, SGA members worked alongside a member of LGBTQ+ Equity Center, Ross Sawilowsky, to connect the bill with trans students and with other students who may benefit from the program.
As an advocate for the community, Sawilowsky aims to promote trans visibility and help connect trans and gender-queer students with sources like the binding and tucking initiative, to help students feel affirmed in their gender identities.
“Come talk to somebody at the Equity Center, or UHC, or both. Yes, we may have limited resources… [but] we also have really determined people who will go as far as they can to help,” said Sawilowsky.
Despite the initiative’s infancy, the team has big plans for the program to grow, and help improve visibility within the LGBTQ+ Terrapin community.
Next month, SGA, and the LGBTQ+ Equity Center plan on hosting events that promote trans-visibility on campus, in celebration of Maryland’s Pride month according to Sawilowsky.
Ng says an additional form will be released once funding is secured that will allow respondents to place requests for gender-affirming products, as well as find more contact information for inquiries regarding their orders.
Featured Image: The University Health Center on Oct. 5, 2022 in College Park, Maryland. Photo by Olivia Borgula.
Correction: A previous version of this story did not specify that Muntaha Haq is no longer SGA Director of Communications.