Equality Maricopa, Maricopa Community College District’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) employee constituency group is requesting that “gender identity” be added to the nondiscrimination policy of the District. This request is offered in the spirit of a shared vision of Maricopa’s values of diversity and inclusiveness: that all students and employees should be treated with respect, dignity, and equity. Adding this phrase to the policy will put us in alignment with two of our key strategic partners, ASU and the UofA, who have gender identity in their nondiscrimination policies.

All of our colleges serve and/or employ people who are trans-identified.  Equality Maricopa believes an explicit policy statement will clarify the expectations at each college and skill center regarding how trans-identified employees and students are to be treated to ensure their success. They seek to guarantee equal protections related to gender identity and expression that are lacking at the state and federal levels, and to end ambiguous policy interpretations by faculty, administrators, college safety, human resources and EEO.

Definitions: gender identity is an individual’s actual or perceived gender, including an individual’s self-image, appearance, expression, or behavior, whether or not that self-image, appearance, expression, or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with the individual’s sex at birth as being either female or male.

Maricopa Citizens for Gender Identity Equality is in support of this endeavor.  Please voice your support of this effort to the Maricopa County Community Colleges Governing board by signing this on-line petition.