By MICAIAH BILGER – The College Fix
‘Coughing, sneezing, and throat-clearing … often affect listener perception of gender’
A new Russell Sage College program will teach “gender-diverse individuals” how to sneeze, cough, and modify their voices to “match their identities.”
The private institution in Albany, New York plans to offer the Gender-Affirming Voice Program starting in the spring 2025 semester, according to its website.
A project of its School of Health Sciences’ Speech and Language Center, the program will offer a series of two-hour weeknight sessions for “gender-diverse individuals who seek to modify their voices to match their identities,” the website states.
“We provide participants with the opportunity to explore their voice and communication goals in a safe, welcoming small group environment,” according to the college.
During the sessions, participants will “explore aspects of voice, like pitch, inflection, resonance, articulation, and loudness,” the website states.
Attention also will be given to “nonverbal communication” and “behaviors such as coughing, sneezing, and throat-clearing, because these often affect listener perception of gender,” according to the website.
Activities will include vocal warm-ups and small group activities to explore “voice and communication,” “gratitude,” and “mindfulness.”
The college did not mention if the program is only for students or if it also welcomes participants from the community.
Russell Sage is taking over the program from the nearby College of Saint Rose, which is closing, according to an article from Young America’s Foundation.
“Participants will receive 20 hours of training throughout a three month period. The school receives funding through the New York State Department of Health to cover training for those without private insurance,” according to the article.
Meanwhile, federal tax dollars are funding a similar project led by a transgender professor at the University of Cincinnati.
The research project, funded by a $213,878 grant from the National Institutes of Health, aims to create software to teach men who identify as transgender to sound more feminine, The College Fix reported earlier this year.