Genny Beemyn 
Director of 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 (6)
Transgender College Students
Transgender Law and Policy
Transgender Mental Health
Trans Youth
LGBTQ Equality
Transgender Issues
Biography
Director of UMass Amherst's Stonewall Center and coordinator of Campus Pride’s Trans Policy Clearinghouse, Genny Beemyn has been interviewed widely to discuss the experiences of transgender college students and the development of trans-inclusive policies and practices on college campuses.
Beemyn has published more than a half dozen books on the lives and experience of LGBTQ people, with an emphasis on transgender youth and college students.
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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 (1)
Media Coverage (8)
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
As the number of LGBTQ Americans has grown, so too have the discussions around what an inclusive college campus looks like. Many universities now give students the option to include their “preferred” or “chosen” name in student registries. And some colleges have gender-inclusive housing open to anyone. “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. “There are no studies that indicate the higher the testosterone level, the better the athletic performance is,” Beemyn said. “There’s no science behind any of this.”
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, uses “they” in order to “educate other people that gender is not a binary and not everyone identifies as she or he.” In fact, Beemyn is relying on language to redefine who they are and how we should know them. Language has evolved as has our understanding of gender, which some experts say is more complex than just male or female. “When people forget or mistakenly assume my pronouns, I typically correct them," they explained. 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.
‘X’ marks the spot: RMV offers non-binary gender option on IDs
Daily Hampshire Gazette print
2019-11-14
Genny Beemyn comments about a new Massachusetts law allowing residents to identify as non-binary on their driver's license.
UCF most welcoming in Florida for LGBTQ students, ranking shows
Orlando Sentinel print
2019-10-18
Genny Beemyn, who directs The Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the campus resource center for queer and trans students, estimates some 200 of the nation’s 4,300 degree-granting post-secondary institutions have written guidelines for trans students’ needs, including housing and restroom accommodations, the two issues Beemyn says are most critical to trans students.
Trans Students Often Struggle With Mental Health
Inside Higher Ed print
2019-08-20
College officials need to require training for professors and staff members around gender minorities, similar to how many institutions teach their faculty members about sexual harassment, said Genny Beemyn, director of the Stonewall Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and coordinator of the LGBTQ advocacy group Campus Pride's Trans Policy Clearinghouse.
Publications (6)
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.
Why trans rights nationwide are only a matter of time
The ConversationGenny Beemyn
2016-05-21
There is a long way to go before transgender people throughout the United States are treated with respect and dignity, as shown by the opposition in some places to trans people using restrooms that match their gender identity.
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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