• News
    • Campus
    • Local
    • World
  • Arts and Entertainment
    • Performing Arts
    • Visual Arts
    • Music
    • Film
    • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
    • Campus Happenings
    • Community Happenings
    • Food
    • Business
    • Travel
    • Calendar
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Video
    • Globe News
    • What’s Bruin
    • Bruin Lens
    • Film
    • Music
    • Globe Shorts
  • Radio
Search
22 F
Salt Lake City
Friday, February 3, 2023
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Contests
  • About The Globe
    • Staff
    • Jobs
    • Issue PDFs
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Privacy Policy
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
The Globe The Globe
The Globe The Globe
  • News
    • Campus
    • Local
    • World
  • Arts and Entertainment
    • Performing Arts
    • Visual Arts
    • Music
    • Film
    • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
    • Campus Happenings
    • Community Happenings
    • Food
    • Business
    • Travel
    • Calendar
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Video
    • Globe News
    • What’s Bruin
    • Bruin Lens
    • Film
    • Music
    • Globe Shorts
  • Radio
Home News Local Salt Lake, SLCC communities protest to raise awareness for transgender issues
  • News
  • Campus
  • Lifestyle
  • Campus Happenings
  • Community Happenings
  • Features
  • Local

Salt Lake, SLCC communities protest to raise awareness for transgender issues

By
Jonny Tollestrup
-
April 12, 2022
0
Protesters gather at the Utah State Capitol and wave flags
Protesters gather at the Utah State Capitol before their march to City Creek park on March 31. (Jonny Tollestrup)

Over the past few weeks, community members of Salt Lake and Salt Lake Community College held protests and marches in an effort to raise awareness of transgender issues and people.

Two demonstrations occurred at the Utah State Capitol last month — a protest against the legislature’s transgender sports ban on March 24 and a march for International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. On April 6, SLCC students gathered on the steps of the college’s South City Campus to voice their dissatisfaction over a failure to include all-gender restrooms in the new Applied Technology Center (ATC) at Taylorsville Redwood Campus.

March for transgender visibility

Demonstrators gather at City Creek park
Protesters end their march to City Creek park for Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. (Jonny Tollestrup)

The march on March 31 featured transgender protesters who shared their stories of growing up in Utah.

“I’m happy all these youth got to speak their story because kids are important, and these kids matter,” said Dallas Rivas, board member for Project Rainbow and principal organizer for the Transgender Visibility March.

Percy Cordero expressed joy in being surrounded by so many like themselves, saying, “I’ve always celebrated Transgender Visibility Day by myself, so it’s a little overwhelming but it’s really cool to see everyone here.”

Speaking to the crowd, Kevin Reynolds said, “What is so wrong with the world that I have to be afraid of walking down the hallway or street? I should feel as safe as any cis-gendered person.”

Many who spoke at the event only referred to themselves by their first names. “It’s already really hard for most trans kids, especially in a place like Utah, so they don’t want to give out info that might lead to harassment later,” Cordero said.

Olivia Jaramillo, director of public outreach at Equality Utah, closed the event and said, “never go back in the closet, you are loved.”

Rivas expressed excitement for a positive gathering for transgender people in Utah. “Usually when we get together, we’re mourning — someone got killed or murdered — but right now, we’re just celebrating our lives,” he said.

All-gender bathrooms not included in rebuilt ATC

Chalk writing reads "Bathrooms aren't battlegrounds, let us pee in peace"
SLCC students wrote several messages during a chalk protest at South City Campus on April 6. The protest centered around the exclusion of all-gender restrooms in plans for the refurbished Advanced Technology Building at Taylorsville Redwood Campus. (Jonny Tollestrup)

After a proposal to add all-gender, multi-stall bathrooms to the new ATC building fell through, Lauren Hamilton-Soule, president of SLCC’s Queer Student Association, organized an event to write their frustrations with the college on the steps of the South City Campus.

“They keep giving us excuse after excuse, and they’re really empty excuses,” Hamilton-Soule said, “so I wanted to do something small and try to encourage administration to do the right thing.”

Peter Moosman, coordinator for the Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center, said he doesn’t fully understand why the college is dragging its heels on all-gender restrooms.

“It’s literally safer for every person that uses them and they’re more private and more comfortable … It’s a win-win for everyone,” Moosman said.

A statement released by SLCC said that the college could not move forward with the proposal due to a need to abide by current Utah construction code. When a temporary divider was proposed to satisfy current code, media representative Erika Shubin said that the design and construction process of the ATC building was “too far along.”

Hamilton-Soule said she believes SLCC is hesitant to move forward on all-gender bathrooms due to a possible response from the greater Utah community.

“Being bigoted and hateful towards trans people is one of the last socially acceptable things for people who want to act this way,” she said. “This is the last opportunity for them to do so.”

Lauren Hamilton-Soule colors a trans pride flag in chalk
Lauren Hamilton-Soule (they/she) works on a chalk drawing for a protest against SLCC’s decision to not include all-gender restrooms in the refurbished Applied Technology Building. (Jonny Tollestrup)

Hamilton-Soule urged SLCC to abide by its own values and make this change, adding that the college cannot claim inclusivity if it does not include transgender people.

On April 14, Moosman and members of SLCC administration — including Charles Lepper, vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management — will sit down for a forum to further discuss the issue.

Moosman hopes to get the college to commit to moving forward on the issue.

“We’re hoping for actual commitment, we want written support from our administrators that take these [proposals] seriously and implement them,” Moosman said.

More information about the GSSRC can be found on their webpage and Instagram.

Transgender awareness demonstrations in Utah
1 of 7
Protesters gather at the Utah State Capitol and wave flags
Protesters gather at the Utah State Capitol before their march to City Creek park on March 31. (Jonny Tollestrup)
Demonstrators gather at City Creek park
Protesters end their march to City Creek park for Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. (Jonny Tollestrup)
Percy Cordero holds a megaphone
Percy Cordero addresses the crowd gathered at City Creek park for Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. (Jonny Tollestrup)
Person speaks to crowd using a megaphone
A speaker tells their story about growing up transgender in Utah at the March for Transgender Visibility on March 31. (Jonny Tollestrup)
Chalk writing reads "Bathrooms aren't battlegrounds, let us pee in peace"
SLCC students wrote several messages during a chalk protest at South City Campus on April 6. The protest centered around the exclusion of all-gender restrooms in plans for the refurbished Advanced Technology Building at Taylorsville Redwood Campus. (Jonny Tollestrup)
Lauren Hamilton-Soule colors a trans pride flag in chalk
Lauren Hamilton-Soule (they/she) works on a chalk drawing for a protest against SLCC's decision to not include all-gender restrooms in the refurbished Applied Technology Building. (Jonny Tollestrup)
Two students pose by their chalk drawing at a protest at Salt Lake Community College
SLCC students Caden Ray, left, and Micheal Finesworth attend the chalk event to support the Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center's proposal for all-gender restrooms in the Applied Technology building, (Jonny Tollestrup)
  • TAGS
  • All-gender restrooms
  • Applied Technology Building
  • Dallas Rivas
  • Gender and Sexuality Student Resource Center
  • HB 11
  • Kevin Reynolds
  • Lauren Hamilton-Soule
  • Olivia Jaramillo
  • Percy Cordero
  • Peter Moosman
  • protest
  • Queer Student Association
  • Salt Lake Community College
  • transgender
  • Transgender Day of Visibility
  • Utah
  • Utah State Capitol
Jonny Tollestrup

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Side-by-side comparison of all-gender restroom signage

SLCC introduces new gender-inclusive restroom signage following last year’s pilot

A woman passes a menstrual product to another

SLCC offers free menstrual products. Here’s how students can access them

Salt Lake Community College sign at Redwood Campus

Letter to the editor: Inclusive bathroom signage initiative continues with second pilot

Nathan Olmedo hosts in studio

Globe News – Oct. 27, 2022

View of north entrance to CT Building

Diversity in skilled labor is increasing. Disparities still exist, but the industry is making change

The Globe
ABOUT US
About The Globe
Staff
Jobs
Issue PDFs
FOLLOW US
  • About The Globe
  • Staff
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
© 2023 The Globe