For EMU’s second annual LGBTQ+ History Month Keynote address, EMU had the honor of hosting Tori Cooper, who presented on transgender history—despite the evening scheduling. “I am 53 years old, and this is late for me,” Cooper said. “Normally, at this time of night, I am in my pajamas watching ‘House Hunters.’”
Cooper, a black transgender woman, is the and. In this role, she is the second-highest ranking transgender woman serving in the U.S. government.
Dawn Neil, the Coordinator for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, organized the event after seeing Cooper talk in an LGBTQ+ Trans Inclusion training webinar. Together with Professor of Education, Kathy Evans, Neil explained to Cooper EMU’s history with LGBTQ+ inclusion and EMU current steps in continuing to prioritize acceptance .
“Before our meeting,” Neil said, “Tori stated she had done some research on EMU and our mission and values and was excited to partner with us for this event.”
As Cooper came to EMU to talk about the history of the transgender community, that’s exactly what she did. “I will be talking Transgender and non-binary,” Cooper said. “If you want to learn about LGBQ+, then next year, bring an ‘L,’ then after that, bring a ‘G,’ then a ‘B,’ and so forth.”
Cooper went on to say that just because someone is in the LGBTQ+ community, it does not mean that someone is an expert on everything LGBTQ+. Cooper’s presentation also included transgender people throughout history. “The reason why I keep showing you all of these historical examples is so you know that transgender is not a new thing,” she said. “It has been around for a long time and is not just the latest cool trend.”
Cooper exemplified her point by talking about the Institut Für Sexualwissenschaft, the first institution to perform gender transition surgeries. Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld-Stiftung ran the institute in Hilter’s Germany, even through the Holocaust. During this time, if someone had this surgery, that person was given a certificate showing that they were transgender, so the Nazi police would not pick them up and arrest them for cross-dressing. “It was even allowed to happen in Nazi Germany. This shows you that it is a normal thing,” Cooper said.
After presenting on the history, Cooper introduced the new laws being made in the United States: the drag bans, the anti-trans bathroom bans, the book bans, and more. “This is normally the part where I start swearing a lot,” Cooper explained, “but out of respect for your institution, I will try to be on my best behavior.”
Cooper went on to say, “why is everyone so interested in what trans people do in the bathroom? I will let you in on a secret: we poop and pee. If you know the genitals of the person in the stall next to you, we have a different problem.”
After Cooper talked for about an hour, there was a ten-minute break, after which there was a “fireside chat” with Cooper and EMU students (pictured) where they spoke and answered questions with Cooper. During this chat, Cooper warned attendees about the importance of labels: “Labels can be helpful sometimes, like with horseradish, because it looks just like mayonnaise, so a label is good because it helps you differentiate between them. There can be a great place for labels, or it can be incredibly limiting. A label you use today may not apply tomorrow, or three years from now, or graduate school, or as you start a family.”
Upon reflection, Neil considers the event a success. “We have had a lot of positive and authentic support from the community.” Readers interested in learning more about Cooper and the Transgender Justice Initiative can find out more at Transjustince@hrc.org.
