Gender-inclusive housing available at Central Penn
Central Penn College is among Pennsylvania
higher-learning institutions to offer this option
By Olivia Gregory
Knightly News Reporter
Olivia.gregory@mymail.centralpenn.edu
Central Penn College gives all students the opportunity to live in gender-inclusive housing—in the campus supersuites.
Gender-inclusive housing gives students the option of living together in a room or suite regardless of their gender identity.
Making sure students feel comfortable and safe is a top priority. The gender-inclusive housing option was created at Central Penn to help ensure that all students felt comfortable living on campus.
Over two dozen Pennsylvania colleges and universities offer a form of gender-inclusive housing, according to a range of college and university sources.
Offering gender-inclusive housing is very important to college students. It can help students adapt more easily than they would in an environment that could make them feel uncomfortable.
This option helps campuses achieve gender equality.
Central Penn student Jenelle Dulack started LUVU housing—an LGBTQ advocacy house—which was the spark that kindled gender-inclusive housing at Central Penn.
After COVID-19 hit, Dulack, in October 2020, and former Residence Life Coordinator Brianna Biller, came up with the idea to turn LUVU into gender-inclusive housing. Their idea came from the realization that Central Penn’s campus had a deficit of safe places for the LGBTQ community.
“A lot of people don’t recognize the need for gender-inclusive housing,” Dulack, who is also president of The Knightly News, said. “So, bringing this option to our campus allows for more open opportunities for the students of Central Penn College.”
All students may request to live here, whether they’re transgender, nonbinary or cis individuals. (“Cis,” short for “cisgender,” people’s gender identity matches the one they were assigned at birth.) To be accepted, a student must state they are an ally to the LGBTQ community.
Residents of the house act as defenders of all people, regardless of gender identity.
Since it was created, up to six people have lived in the housing.
Inside the gender-inclusive house is a place called “the therapy area.” This space is decorated with art to create a sense of relaxation. Residents can get together and have mediated-conversation sessions where they can talk about anything.
Individuals who live somewhere else on campus but would feel more comfortable in gender-inclusive housing may request to be moved to it. Contact residencelife@centralpenn.edu.
Comment or story idea? Contact KnightlyEditors@CentralPenn.Edu.
Edited by media-club co-adviser and blog editor Professor Michael Lear-Olimpi.
