Students celebrate the trans community
They just want to be seen
Door Hieke Dijkstra
By Hieke Dijkstra
Hieke Dijkstra
Teun(tje) Zijp
As a toddler, Teun(tje) Zijp (28) would sometimes put on a skirt, because it looked so nice. These days, the physics student and chemistry teacher still prefers wearing a skirt, not just because it’s comfortable, but also to break boundaries.
Teun(tje) – Teun is traditionally a male name in Dutch, Teuntje is female – is non-binary and pansexual, preferring the pronouns they/them. ‘I’m working on getting an X in my passport, but that’s a process that takes a year. It’s quite the hassle.’
Teun(tje) has been using the label transgender since 2020. To explain what this means, they draw a little figure and point to its head and its genital. ‘When you’re transgender, you were born in the wrong body. What’s in your pants doesn’t match what’s in your head.’
Teun(tje) kept wondering whether they truly felt like a man, so they joined TransAnders, an open discussion group for people who don’t or won’t fit existing gender categories, as well as people who are still searching for themselves. ‘That’s where I found out that it’s okay to use pronouns other than the binary that’s so standard in our society.’
The transgender flag on the Martini tower makes me feel like the city sees me
For Teun(tje), the Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) feels like a day where transgender people can show everyone who they are or who they want to be. ‘You’re not alone.’ Trans people can be nervous about interacting with strangers, they say, because they’re worried society might not accept them.
Teun(tje) was recently in a situation like that. ‘A friend and I were putting up posters for TDOV when we were surrounded by a group of youths. “Sir, what are you doing?”, they asked me. While I don’t identify as male, I told them that I was making the world a more beautiful place.’
Because Teun(tje) organises the event in Groningen this year, they get to climb the Martini tower in the morning to hoist the transgender flag. ‘It really makes me feel like the city sees me’, they say. ‘People are becoming more aware.’
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t still work to be done, says Teun(tje). ‘We’re breaking so many barriers, which is great, but it would be nice if people were just able to say that they didn’t have a label at all, that they’re just human.’
Maxime Hartwig
Pharmaceutical sciences student Maxime Hartwig (24) was also there when the transgender flag was hoisted on d’Olle Grieze for the first time next year. ‘It was a really emotional moment to see that big flag fly from the most iconic structure in Groningen.’
Last year, the flag was the only thing celebrating TDOV, but this year includes activities such as a meeting at the Grote Markt. ‘It’s a way for the transgender community to make its voice heard.’ That’s important, says Maxine, who joins Teun(tje) as one of the organisers of the day. Their friends still have to think about what to wear before leaving the house, and don’t always feel safe on the street.
In the hospital, where Maxime goes regularly because of their transition, they’ve realised how hard it can be to properly express yourself. ‘Doctors need to know what you are to be able to help you.’
You can experiment as a way of getting to know yourself
But, says Maxime, nobody should be defined by a label. ‘Right now, I enjoy being able to say that I’m non-binary. But it still kind of feels like I’m saying that I’m neither man nor woman, but something else.’
It can be difficult to express who you are and what you stand for, Maxime says. They found the internet particularly helpful when looking for their gender identity. On the website Genderpraatjes.nl, they were able to chat or even talk on the phone to people in the same boat. Maxime feels good about themselves now, but they do have a message about people who are still in the closet: ‘Take the time to find out who you are. Do try to talk to someone about it, because holding it in will only work against you.’ And: you don’t have to make a decision. ‘Gender is fluid. You can experiment as a way of getting to know yourself.’
Hannah Jager
Hannah Jager (29) wears a pin with a rainbow flag in her blonde curls. It’s been a long, hard journey to find her identity, she says. ‘I kept trying to figure out which box I belonged in. It took some time, but it just feels good to have people address me as “she” and “her”.’
It feels good to have people address me as ‘she’ and ‘her’
Labels can both be a blessing and a burden, she knows. She felt liberated when she started using her new pronouns, but it’s not that easy for everyone. To help others, she founded a committee on inclusivity at FMF, the study association for students of mathematics and physics. ‘People should be able to be themselves at university and their association as well.’
The committee’s goal is to provide a safe space for the transgender community and organise various events. ‘We’re clearly doing something right, because other associations have approached us to ask how they can increase inclusivity as well’, says Hannah. ‘That’s really nice.’
Aoibhín Quinn
‘I define simply as human’, says Aoibhín Quinn (25), a physics student. She was inspired by friends and fellow students who are part of the transgender community to look into gender, and figured out that to her, gender didn’t mean anything.
That also means she doesn’t care how people refer to her. Either she or them is completely fine. ‘Some gender aspects of language do make me uncomfortable, but not pronouns.’
They forget that there’s such a thing as non-binary people
Aoibhín is commissioner of internal affairs on the FMF board and has seen people become more open to the transgender community over the past few years. However, there are some things in student culture that are ‘completely outdated’, she says. ‘People who aren’t straight are immediately seen as gay. They forget that there’s such a thing as non-binary people.’
But she’s also seen progress. ‘Even people outside the transgender community now include their preferred pronouns on social media in a show of solidarity.’ And during FMF general meetings, Aoibhín says, ‘we always ask the members about their preferred pronouns’.