Since the implementation and subsequent re-interpretation of Senate Bill 104 (the “bathroom bill”) at Kenyon, I have heard a number of my peers voice a striking demand: that in order to stand up for the transgender and nonbinary members of our community whom this legislation directly affects, Kenyon’s administration must refuse to comply with the bill. I admire the values this call to action reflects: a strong sense of justice, a deep care for one’s affected peers and the trans community at large and a desire to engage in fierce allyship. However, I feel that it portrays a misguided understanding of trans allyship — particularly institutional allyship — at Kenyon: that effective support for the community requires the College breaking the law.
Don’t get me wrong — it is still imperative that we pressure our institution to better support its trans students amid horrific attacks on our dignity and humanity. However, an understanding of institutional allyship as solely noncompliance could easily result in more harm than benefit. Additionally, it overlooks other avenues through which to generate robust student support on campus, both institutionally and otherwise. If we shift our vision of allyship from demanding noncompliance to building and strengthening community, I think these avenues become clearer.
If Kenyon were to simply not comply with the bill, the media attention and national scrutiny garnered by the situation would shine a dangerous spotlight on the College, inviting to campus threats of external surveillance, enforcement and harassment that would jeopardize the privacy and safety of the very students the College has acted to protect. As a trans person, I find myself especially frustrated when this demand for institutional noncompliance comes from my cisgender peers, who may not have to consider the very real risks of safety or surveillance in the same way.
Instead of demanding that the College break the law, we should demand greater effort toward encouraging and preserving an environment of mutual support and solidarity on campus. This effort is an active one, and we cannot let its necessity — nor the injustice that has created it — be forgotten. Kenyon must uphold itself not only as an academic institution, but as a community and a culture as well. Our administration has a responsibility not only to guide the College through these legal attacks with the well-being of its students in mind, but to be leaders in shaping the culture its students embody. In this regard, I believe our institution has fallen short and should be doing much more, but noncompliance is not the answer. Instead, our administration should vocally communicate a clear and strict no-tolerance policy for the harassment of trans and nonbinary students. Kenyon must be more intentional about reminding its trans community that we belong here, rather than leaving supportive communication up to professors. Furthermore, we ought to hold the College accountable for prioritizing the needs of students affected by SB 104, such as ensuring equitable access to safe bathrooms in housing assignments.
Amid our demands of the College, let’s not forget our own power as students, especially when it comes to creating and maintaining culture on campus. I believe trans allyship is something we can all regularly and actively engage with in a number of ways:
Hold your peers accountable. Prevent transphobia from festering on campus by shutting down anti-trans rhetoric and harmful jokes, regardless of whether you hear them from an acquaintance or your best friend. Attacks on the fundamental rights of trans individuals are not, never have been and never will be a laughing matter.
Commit to doing your part in erasing a culture of harassment. In its place, create a culture of mutual support, empathy and solidarity. Instead of speaking on behalf of the trans community, listen to, amplify and stand by trans voices — especially when we are expressing what would best support us.
Involve yourself in activism on campus, even if you don’t see yourself directly represented or affected by a given issue. When affinity groups fundraise or organize for a cause, show up! Solidarity is a powerful expression, and there is strength in numbers.
SB 104 is by far the worst thing to happen to me during my time at Kenyon. To be clear, I am not making the case for compliance as a surefire response to legislative oppression in general. I am instead asserting that in our particular context, support and allyship can mean much more than institutional noncompliance. In expanding our vision of trans allyship, perhaps we can more effectively generate collective action towards a cohesive, supportive community.
Ezekiel Hettmann ’26 is a religious studies major from San Clemente, California. He can be reached at hettmann1@kenyon.edu.