The Faculty Senate unanimously voted to approve a resolution last week calling on the university administration to protect transgendered students from unfair discrimination, Nashville's Out & About newspaper initially reported this week.

Adopted at at the May 5 Senate meeting, the resolution mirrors a similar one adopted and supported by Vanderbilt Student Government, according to Faculty Senate chair Bruce Barry.

"[The resolution] isn't limited to 'transgendered students'; it is about the larger idea of 'gender identity' and 'expression,'" said Barry in an e-mail. "Also, it isn't limited to students; the effort on this subject has been about adding gender identity to protections that apply to all members of the university community - staff and faculty as well as students."

The campaign to change formal university policy, such as that in the Student Handbook, has been undertaken by the Human Rights Campaign at Vanderbilt. The HRC has worked with Dean of Students Mark Bandas, who has stated, as previously reported on InsideVandy, that there will "five immediate key action steps" to address concerns of the GLBT community on campus.

According to Barry, the Senate "felt that gender identity and expression deserve the same protection in university policies as sexual orientation."

If the administration adopts this proposed change to the non-discrimination clause, it will have successfully reached one of these steps, which also include the creation of an Office of GLBT Life and and a full-time Director of GLBT life.