WTrans kids have such a difficult time getting into college. Applications are so difficult, with the matter of legal and preferred names setting off the admissions board from the get-go, to the fact that so many of us are not yet out of the closet, making any recognition of our achievements just another reminder of our inability to have freedom in our own identity. This is not to mention the fact that we have no point of reference for the colleges' views upon our identity and how our identity affects their "image." The way that we present ourselves and our identity must be inoffensive and according to their own definition of "the right trans person." We are transgender because we reject gender roles, but we are still expected to uphold them for the comfort and standards of cis people. Following our dreams means risking our safety as well. We don't know about the colleges' views upon discrimination either. We need to know that we are safe on campus, and if we are ever put in a situation that compromises that safety, we will be backed up by the campus authority. We may not be able to guarantee our fellow students' "approval" of our existence, we need to be able to guarantee that we will be respected by staff and administration. Not just in a temporary, situational sense, the guarantee of transgender students' safety should be the standard for every school. Every student should be able to know that they are cared for by their school and that their identity is not a burden or inconvenience to the campus. This isn't even addressing the transgender students, friends of mine, people that I know, who are/have been homeless due to circumstance or being thrown out of their home after coming out. It should not be a community-wide experience to have been homeless for a time being. It should not be a historical experience for your brothers and sisters to be forced to go into sex work because they were thrown out by their family, people who are supposed to love them unconditionally. Teenagers' futures and livelihoods are stripped from them because they wish to live their truth. The average lifespan of transgender individuals is 35 because living in these circumstances leads to high suicide rates, not to mention hate crimes and simply unhealthy living conditions.