New College of Florida was a safe haven for me as a transgender student. I spent 19 years growing up in the conservative Midwest, constantly being reminded of how my differences made me less than others. My high school teachers would start class discussions about the legitimacy of transgender lives and bodies, almost always met by the students around me with disrespect for queer people. My doctor had come to my doorstep, my own home, telling me that I was wrong and sinful for trying to seek out gender-affirming care through him, which would be the catalyst for my suicide attempt at 16 years old. In the year of my high school German teacher's retirement, he targeted my trans peers by giving them letters explaining why they were Godless for their decision to transition, with each letter including candy and a DVD about religion. I knew two trans kids in school who would end up killing themselves from bullying. Throughout all of these injustices I've experienced, no one has faced repercussions.
When I finally graduated high school, I was excited about the possibility of leaving the state for somewhere more accepting. I found a sense of actual community at New College of Florida, where I was looked at and treated as an equal despite my gender identity. New College is known for its openly queer and outspoken student body, and after years of having no friends, New College is the place where I finally developed a friend group that I felt understood me.
Just as soon as I had found some semblance of community, it was ripped from me. Towards the tail end of my first year, the governor of Florida had begun to specifically target New College in hopes of changing the culture of the student body, both scared of Florida's honors college being associated with leftist ideas and wanting a college takeover as a chip to gamble in the upcoming presidential election. Ron Desantis has passed multiple anti-LGBTQ laws in Florida, has banned gender studies and critical race theory, and has openly made it clear that we -- queer students -- are no longer welcome on campus. From tossing dozens of books out of our campus library to painting over student-made murals, Desantis' team as our new administration is actively trying to push out queer students from New College.
New College offered both queer and non-queer students an alternative and accepting education that is hard to find anywhere else. Even with offers being made to help New College students such as the Hampshire tuition match program, many students can not afford to leave Florida, especially without the amazing scholarships, financial aid, and other general opportunities that New College has provided its students in the past. These types of anti-LGBTQ laws aren't just happening in Florida. Without active resistance to conservative education reform, there will be fewer and fewer spaces for transgender students to feel welcome and safe.
If you are interested in learning more about the disadvantages affecting transgender students pursuing education, please visit #TransgenderFirst.
If you're interested in learning more about New College and how you can help, visit Save New College.