This summer, upper-year students at the University of British Columbia (UBC) broke ground with their new initiative: a mentorship program for transgender students.
Inclusive of all trans, genderqueer, nonbinary and Two Spirit individuals at UBC, the UBC Trans Mentorship program was co-founded by fourth-year students Alex Gonzalez and Kip Chow.
Gonzalez said he believed there was a lack of dedicated space for trans students in the school community and began recruiting within the university’s trans, Two Spirit and gender diversity community.
The program pairs students in the early formative stages of their gender journey with those who are further along in their transition, something which Chow emphasizes is not always reflective in the participants’ age.
“We have mentors who are [in] first-year and mentees who are in fourth year. It specifically just depends on where you are with your gender journey and gender transition,” Chow said.
The crucial part is that each mentor’s personal degree of openness or privacy matches that of their mentee, said Chow.
Gonzalez said he wished he had support from a mentorship program during his first year at UBC. This inspired his decision to start the program to help other trans students.
“It’s really nice being able to create that sense of community and support for other people,” Chow said. “It’s a really important initiative considering how few explicit support systems there are for us [at UBC].”
While the UBC Pride Collective offers weekly meetings for the LGBTQ+ community, Gonzalez wanted to create a more structured and personal environment.
“Hanging out … is not really the same as having the opportunity to build a one-on-one personal connection with someone who can provide personal support and advice,” Chow said.
The UBC Trans Mentorship program emphasises anonymity for individuals who do not wish to disclose their gender status. Both Gonzalez and Chow agreed that an online learning environment has made concealment easier.
However, due to COVID-19, certain limitations have arisen.
Communication between mentors and mentees in different time zones reduces availability. Not being able to promote the program on campus also puts limits on how the program can be publicized to students, requiring Gonzalez and Chow to use alternative ways to spread the word.
Gonzalez was first able to communicate his ideas about the program with peers and the UBC Equity and Inclusion Office. The office’s newsletter and the student union have both provided the mentorship program with additional exposure, the latter having advertised it at the LGBTQ+ panel during UBC’s Jump Start.
Various UBC student societies have also been instrumental in drawing attention to the program.
Gonzalez explained he reached out to undergrad student clubs such as the Engineering Undergraduate Society, the Science Undergraduate Society and the Graduate Student Society to promote the mentorship program. He received positive interest from all of the clubs, who were happy to support the program.
Allied professors, known as faculty sponsors, also refer students to the program as they see fit. According to Gonzalez, the professors have helped promote the UBC Trans Mentorship in arts and humanities programs dealing with trans-related literature and individuals.
Mary Ann Saunders, a professor within UBC’s arts studies and English department who conducts research relating to transgender studies, is one of the program’s faculty sponsors.
“For new students who are coming into the university, it’s hard enough to make connections when you’re part of a gender minority or you think you might be part of [one],” Saunders said.
As a trans woman and vocal member of the UBC trans community, Saunders has been one of the first points of contact for many trans or non-binary students when coming out about their gender identity.
“I want to have a place to direct [students] that is really going to serve their needs and so I’m just delighted that this [mentorship program] has started,” Saunders said.
Having overseen the creation of the UBC Trans Mentorship program, she said the team of students leading it are “incredibly well-organized, very thoughtful, [and] extraordinarily competent.”
With roughly 30 mentors and mentees currently participating, UBC Trans Mentorship is looking towards the future.
Skylar Dubois, a UBC Okanagan student who helped found the program, will expand the initiative to the Kelowna campus in January and serve as coordinator there.
Chow is planning monthly hangouts over Discord and Zoom, starting at the end of October.
Graduating in May, Gonzalez would like to see the program continue in future years.
“I’m glad it happened,” they said. “It was an idea that I had just in passing and I was like, ‘Wait, I could probably make this happen.’”
Having improvised and overcome various technical challenges, UBC Trans Mentorship hopes to pave the way for future gender diversity initiatives at other universities in Canada.
“My hope is that this will snowball and that other institutions will look and say, ‘Hey, this is a great idea and we’ll pick that up,” Saunders said.
Gonzalez also hopes to see other institutions start their own trans mentorship programs. He expressed that if other schools do start a mentorship program, they should prioritize “making sure they can protect mentees and mentors from harm.”
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi
