FGCU is now one of four universities in Florida to allow housing to transgender students.

Whether the student identifies as male, female or other, FGCU Student Housing and Residence Life will do everything in their power to accommodate the student in housing by their preferred affiliation.

There are 250 colleges and universities across the United States that are accepting of a transgender student’s preference in housing. The so-called controversy that is being discussed across the nation is whether a student should be housed with the gender they identify with, or not.

As a student at FGCU, you don’t have to worry.

You are accepted here no matter what — even if someone else thinks otherwise.

One of the statements of the Title IX office at FGCU falls under the Education Amendments of 1972, specifying that any discrimination or harassment against individuals based on sex (including gender) in programs or activities that have financial aid is prohibited.

Since FGCU housing accepts financial aid, they cannot discriminate against you because of your gender.

Unfortunately, other universities mention nothing in their Title IX statements. George Fox University, a private Christian university in Oregon, has been marked exempt from Title IX because of their public religious affiliation.

When you search for Title IX on their website, they explicitly state, “Title IX allows colleges to provide separate housing and facilities on the basis of sex if they are comparable and proportionately available.”

This strictly states that any transgender student is not accepted if they do not have the same body parts as the fellow members of their gender.

George Fox University arranged a court case with one of their students when that student asked for housing and was denied.

The student’s name was Jayce, and he requested to live in a boys’ dormitory. The university placed Jayce in a single apartment, leaving him segregated from other students.

Despite Jayce and his lawyer’s valiant efforts, the Title IX office clearly stated in a letter that the exempt to their regulations applies, “to the extent that they require a recipient to treat students consistent with their gender identity, but doing so would conflict with the controlling organization’s religious tenants.”

The letter also explained that since George Fox University is a “Christ-centered community,” they believe that all people are born male or female from birth, and they “cannot in good conscience support or encourage an individual to live in conflict with biblical principles.”

At the end of the day, Jayce remained in isolation and was deprived of the right to live where he chose.

It is wrong to turn away an innocent bystander like Jayce, and ignore his requests for different accommodations based on what you believe.

I firmly believe that transgender students should be allowed to live where they please, and I applaud universities like FGCU for standing up for its students and allowing us to make our own choices.