Alum’s visit highlights changes to anti-discrimination policy

Lauren Sutherland Life Editor

Blegen House and the Queer Coalition of Vassar College (QCVC) welcomed Vassar alum Kiana Moore ’02 to campus on Thursday, April 20. Moore, a transsexual currently working for a Hollywood production company as well as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), delivered a lecture entitled “Lifetime Transitions: One Transsexual’s Story.”

Although Blegen House Director John Schoonbeck said that Moore’s lecture was scheduled based on her availability, the timing was fortuitous given some of the recent changes taking place at Vassar. On the afternoon of Moore’s lecture, the Vassar faculty did a second reading of a proposal to add new by-laws to the school’s anti-discrimination policy.

“The proposed changes had to do with including gender identity and expression to the anti-discrimination policy,” said Schoonbeck of the amendment, which the faculty voted to approve.
During the lecture, which soon took on an informal question and answer dynamic, Moore drew from personal stories about her struggle to find herself as well as social acceptance in order to address the universal plight of transsexual individuals in today’s society.

One of the primary issues discussed during the hour was the need to increase the standards of health care received by transsexuals during the continuous process of gender transition, and the fact that most doctors are not qualified to administer the proper care to individuals who want to change their gender. The improper use of certan hormone treatments poses serious health threats, including organ failure.

Another recurring theme of the discussion was the issue of professional and social discrimination, and the constant pressure that transsexuals feel to “pass living as a certain gender in the real world.”

After being denied several promotions at a New York production company and finding it nearly impossible to get a lawyer to represent her in a discrimination suit, Moore moved to Los Angeles in search of a clean professional slate. However, the experience with her former employer burdened her with the constant paranoia of being “found out.” Moore also said that the fear of being discovered is what keeps her from actively participating in the transsexual community. She noted that if she were public about being transsexual, it could have a detrimental effect on her career.

Both Schoonbeck and QCVC Co-Chair Kelsey Smith ’07 felt Moore’s visit to the campus was successful. “I hope this event helped to raise awareness about the kinds of issues that transsexual people face both in college and in the workplace, since Vassar represents both of these communities to different people,” said Smith.

Schoonbeck echoed Smith’s sentiments upon the impact of Moore’s message. “Moore was an inspiration,” Schoonbeck said. “And she always has been.”