Ball State University Trans Ally Training Includes ‘Cisgender Privilege Checklist’

 A transgender allyship training manual from Ball State University, located in Muncie, Indiana, includes a “cisgender privilege checklist,” as well as a list of recommended pronouns and “gender identity across cultures.”

The training guide, created by the school’s counseling center, also features a section on  “trans terminology” and a “Trans/Intersex Ally Quiz.”

Called the “safezone and trans safezone training,” the program is a “voluntary network of faculty, staff, students, and community members” who are “especially committed to being allies to and advocates for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) individuals.” 

The manual’s “abbreviated cisgender privilege checklist” argues that those who do not struggle with gender dysphoria enjoy certain privileges not afforded to those who identify as transgender. It lists examples of these supposed privileges while referring to individuals using pronouns like “ze” and “zir.”

One example reads: “When initiating sex with someone, I do not have to worry that they will not be able to deal with my parts or that having sex with me will cause my partner to question zir own sexual orientation.”

“If I am attacked by a lover, no one will excuse my attacker because ze was ‘deceived’ by my gender,” another example reads.

The list, which includes 34 examples of “cisgender privilege,” also states, “I can attend ‘women-only’ or ‘male-only’ events … without fear of being seen as an interloper.”

Another section argues that “there are an infinite number of pronouns as new ones emerge in our language.” 

The guide goes on to detail “gender identity across cultures,” including “Mahu,” which is defined as “Native Hawaiian persons who are traditionally revered and respected as embodying both male and female spirits.”

There’s also “Ninauposkitzipxpe,” which the guide defines as “a third gender in the North Peigan tribe of the Blackfoot Confederacy in northern Montana and Southern Alberta, Canada.” It also lists Aboriginal Australia’s “Sistergirls & Brotherboys” before arguing, “as in some other native cultures, there is evidence that transgender and intersex people were much more accepted in their society before colonization.”

“Quariwarmi,” a word from Peruvian culture, is explained in the guide: “In pre-colonial Andean culture, the Incas worshiped the Chuqui Chinchay, a dual-gendered god. Third-gender ritual attendants or shamans performed sacred rituals to honor this god.”

It also goes on to discuss the Native American “two-spirit” identity, defining the idea as “Native persons who have attributes of both genders, have distinct gender and social roles in their tribes, and are often involved with mystical rituals.”

 

Meanwhile, a glossary section for allies encourages and defines phrases like “gender affirmation surgery,” “bottom surgery,” and “hormone replacement therapy” before turning to a list of “non-binary identities.” 

It defines the word “genderf***” as a “form of gender expression that seeks to subvert the traditional gender binary.” The word “neutrois” refers to someone who “feels that they are genderless or lacking gender.” It further elaborates that “a trigender person may feel as though they are not man or woman, but are also not in between those two labels.” 

The guide also features a “trans/intersex ally quiz” which asks, “When you are uncertain of an individual’s gender identity, how do you know which pronoun to use?” and “What is the difference in definition between a transgender person and an intersex person?”

The Ball State University Counseling Center hosts the four-hour-long safe zone trainings, which are open to students, faculty, and staff.