Nurturing a Dialogue About Inclusion
As young as the age of 4, Tre Wentling felt like he was a boy. Born a female by all outward appearances, Tre was never comfortable as a girl. Through the growing up years, Tre tried to just live life and didn’t give the topic of gender much thought. But in 2002, Tre realized that the rest of the world didn’t see him for who he was. He wanted to be recognized as a man.
Tre started coming out socially as transgender during college, and decided to make the medical changes needed to help him present as male. With a deeper voice and facial hair that formed his outward identity in the years that followed, Tre’s transition had a profound impact on his life. And through it all, the positive support Tre received at school made all the difference in the world.
The University of Colorado in Colorado Springs created an open, supportive learning environment, so much so that Tre was invited to visit other classrooms as a guest speaker, participate in a campus-wide speaker series, and conduct departmental trainings about topics related to sexuality and gender. When he started teaching his own classes after graduate school, the support of his advisors led him to openly discuss his transition with students.
“I am very open about who I am, and I’ve always stayed the same person on the inside. I want to introduce people to different ways of living, and get away from labeling. So I incorporate transgender issues into my teaching topics whenever possible, and draw on personal stories to bring more richness to the discussion,” says Tre.
Tre attributes his positive experience largely to the Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion, an organization that grew out of the Women’s and Ethnic Studies Program at UCCS. Led by Abby Ferber, Tre’s professor and mentor, the Matrix Center examines the dynamics of oppression and privilege, with a central focus on the intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality. It shares its research and engages in community dialogue as a collaborative project among faculty, students, and community members. “The goal is to bridge the gap between theory and practice when it comes to social change,” says Ferber.
Social justice theory is put into action by ensuring a common understanding of respect in the classroom.
In addition, the Matrix Center’s speaker programs, film series, and other public resources nurture a broader local and national dialogue about social inequality. Its Knapsack Institute provides educators with tools and strategies for engaging in productive dialogue without alienating students or creating hostility. And the annual White Privilege conference raises consciousness about social inequities that divide people.
The Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado supports the Matrix Center with annual contributions, impacting the way concepts of inclusion and diversity are woven into the fabric of education and civic involvement.
Having played a role in founding the Matrix Center, Tre has experienced the local and societal impacts of the program firsthand. Now a doctoral student in sociology at Syracuse University, Tre incorporates the teachings of the Matrix Center into his personal and professional life.
“The Matrix Center has supported and influenced me. What’s been done for me, I can pay back – or pay it forward – through teaching. I know it’s shaped others’ lives, too. It gives life,” he says.
