Concordia College Students Talks LGBTQ Issues At Gender Matters Expo

The topics ranged from sexual violence, discrimination and LGBTQ issues.

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Students and staff packed into Firda Nilsen Lounge to talk about gender issues in the community.

The topics ranged from sexual violence, discrimination and LGBTQ issues.

“The issues that are very real gender affects our material lives and to help identify and continue to make people’s lives better,” Co-director, Women’s & Gender Studies Karla Knutson said.

Allie Holt worked alongside a group of students to create a presentation on the use of gendered language.

“So basically normalizing the use of pronouns like introducing when meeting someone so it isn’t hard for people to use pronouns that are other then She/Him to be able to be comfortable,” Holt said.

She says one of the inspirations into researching the issue came from the need to have one of the main bathrooms on campus be replaced to a gender neutral bathroom.

“So that’s kind of where the thought started and I was like what kind of research can I attach to that. Kind of activism so lets look at the non-binary and trans community of the college and what would make a difference to them,” Holt said.

Holt says the next step of their project is to get the college to allow students to change their preferred name in the classroom.

She says the school’s class lists only have students’ legal names listed.

Holt says by letting students change the name it would help make students feel more comfortable.

“Try to attend one of the student government, to get people talking about it, to get it too a higher level, so that it can be put into action but ya I don’t know why it hasn’t happened yet because it definitely should have,” Holt said.