Genny Beemyn
Director of The Stonewall Center | University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA, UNITED STATES
Genny Beemyn is an expert on the lives of transgender college students and on trans-inclusive policies and practices on college campuses.
Expertise (7)
LGBTQ Equality
Transgender Issues
Trans Youth
Transgender Mental Health
Transgender Law and Policy
Transgender College Students
Diversity & Inclusion in Higher Education
Biography
Genny Beemyn was one of the country’s first out nonbinary college administrators and has been the director of UMass Amherst's Stonewall Center since 2006.
Beemyn also serves as the coordinator of Campus Pride’s Trans Policy Clearinghouse, which tracks college trans-inclusive policies and works with colleges to help them become more trans-supportive.
They has been interviewed widely to discuss the experiences of transgender college students and the development of trans-inclusive policies and practices on college campuses.
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Education (3)
University of Iowa: Ph.D., African American Studies/American Studies
University of Rochester: M.S., Higher Education
Cornell University: B.A., Africana Studies and Political Science
Links (4)
Select Recent Media Coverage (9)
What to Know About the Trans Pride Flag
TIME online
2024-06-06
Genny Beemyn, director of UMass Amherst’s Stonewall Center, comments in an article about the meaning of the multi-colored transgender pride flag. Beemyn says this and other pride flags provide a sense of belonging to those who are part of the group and give people who want to be allies to individuals in that group a way to show their support at a time when the U.S. is becoming increasingly polarized regarding trans issues. Much of the polarization, Beemyn says, “is preying on people’s ignorance and fears.”
End of the Rainbow?
Diverse Issues in Higher Education online
2024-06-18
Genny Beemyn, director of the UMass Amherst Stonewall Center, comments on anti-DEI and anti-LGBTQ+ actions, particularly around providing spaces for these groups. “People are going to, I assume, turn to more virtual spaces to find support, to find community, which will certainly help some students, but by no means is a substitute for [centers],” Beemyn says.
Massachusetts offers gender-neutral marker on driver's licenses, but some worry about discrimination
GBH radio
2023-08-07
Genny Beemyn, director of the Stonewall Center, recounts their interaction with a police officer after being pulled over for speeding shortly after being one of the first to receive such a license. “The officer…misgendered me, which was unfortunate, but that typically happens,” Beemyn says. “But then as soon as he saw my license, apologized and corrected himself and asked what pronouns he should be using for me.”
At Wellesley College, Students Vote to Admit Trans Men
The New York Times online
2023-03-14
Women’s colleges have reputations for being a refuge for transgender students, including transgender men, said Genny Beemyn, the director of the Stonewall Center at University of Massachusetts Amherst. The schools tend to have very progressive student bodies and large numbers of lesbian and bisexual students, who can be more welcoming to transgender students.
Where do college campuses fall short for LGBTQ+ students?
CBS News online
2022-06-06
College can be an exciting time for many young Americans, but some LGBTQ+ students may not get the support they need on campus. Genny Beemyn, director of the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Stonewall Center, joins CBS News to discuss where some colleges fall short and how they can improve.
'Completely different from high school': How colleges are making space for LGBTQ students
USA Today online
2022-06-05
“You need a place you can feel comfortable sleeping,” said Genny Beemyn, director of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst’s LGBTQ resource center. “You need a place where you (can) comfortably go to the bathroom. If you can’t do both of those things, it’s hard to exist on a college campus.”
Transgender Athletes Face Greater Scrutiny in Gender Divided Sports
Diverse Issues in Higher Education online
2022-02-25
The intersection of sexual biology and a level, fair playing field for women in sports is frustrating for Dr. Genny Beemyn, director of The Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and coordinator of Campus Pride’s Trans Policy Clearinghouse.
It's 2022: Time to start calling people by their correct pronouns
USA Today print
2022-02-01
Genny Beemyn, director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says, “When people forget or mistakenly assume my pronouns, I typically correct them.". But Beemyn finds that they’re regularly “misgendered by customer service people who think they’re being polite by using ‘sir’ or ‘mister.’ ” Instead, they said, “I just curse under my breath and don’t say anything because I do not (want) to be constantly challenging people.”
Mental Health Care Is Crucial For Trans People — So Why Is It So Hard To Find?
Refinery 29 online
2020-11-19
Genny Beemyn, director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, says the mental health struggles of trans people largely stem from their stigmatization in society and not because of their gender identity. “Any higher prevalence of mental health issues comes about because of the way society treats them," Beemyn says.
Select Publications (6)
College students are increasingly identifying beyond ‘she’ and ‘he’
The ConversationGenny Beemyn
2022-08-22
"When students today fill out their college applications, they are not just identifying as “she” or “he.” More than 3% of incoming college students use a different set of pronouns. That’s according to my analysis of the more than 1.2 million applications submitted for the 2022-23 school year through the Common App, an online application platform used by more than 900 colleges."
Legal fights persist over policies that require teachers to refer to trans students by their chosen pronouns
The ConversationGenny Beemyn
2022-06-15
Genny Beemyn writes that "The right of trans students to be free from discrimination is tenuous at best and under constant legal attack."
Change to college application represents a step forward in how colleges can better support trans students
The ConversationGenny Beemyn
2021-08-05
Genny Beemyn write that changes in the Common Application represent a much-needed opportunity for colleges and universities that use the Common App to acknowledge and respect the gender identities of their trans students.
How Colleges Can Still Legally Protect Trans Students Without Coverage Under Title IX
HuffPostGenny Beemyn
2018-05-24
The Trump administration’s revocation of the “Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender Students” further oppresses one of the most oppressed groups on college campuses and represents a complete reversal of federal efforts over the past few years to ensure the basic civil rights of trans students. But colleges can still legally encode the rights that the Trump administration is no longer protecting; it is time that institutions step up and support their trans students.
Look inside this book. Trans People in Higher Education (Book))
SUNY PressGenny Beemyn (editor)
2019-02-01
While more trans students, faculty, and staff have come out on US college campuses today than ever before, many still report enduring harassment and discrimination. Others avoid disclosing their gender identity because they do not feel safe or comfortable at their schools. This groundbreaking book is the first to address their experiences in a single volume.
The Lives of Transgender People (Book)
Columbia University PressGenny Beemyn and Susan Rankin
2011-11-15
Responding to a critical need for greater perspectives on transgender life in the United States, Genny Beemyn and Susan Rankin apply their extensive expertise to a groundbreaking surveyone of the largest ever conducted in the U.S. on gender development and identity-making among transsexual women, transsexual men, crossdressers, and genderqueer individuals.
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