San Francisco State University created a clinic to help transgender students alter their voices to match their gender identity.
The clinic’s program, spearheaded by Assistant Professor of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Anusha Sundarrajan, will provide resources to nonbinary and transgender students with exercises and consultation to achieve their preferred voice tonality. According to the university, exercises include having students hum through a straw.
“With our clinic, we provide a nonjudgmental space where our participants can find a voice that defines who they are,” Sundarrajan said. “We want to create a safe and open environment for all our participants.”
“We want to say to our participants, ‘Hey, is this how you want to sound? Okay, we’ll give you the techniques to get you there,’” she said.
The school explained the program in an announcement at the end of January.
“To reach their goals, participants use techniques common in the field of speech-language pathology. For example, clinicians employ Conversation Training Therapy, which helps participants comfortably speak with their target voice in a conversational setting. One exercise of this type of therapy involves switching between their current and target voice, a practice that builds their confidence in speaking with their target voice in everyday settings,” the school explained.
Lola Chase, a female-to-male transgender student who underwent the program, says it was beneficial. “Prior to joining the clinic, I didn’t know how to support my voice in a way that both aligns with my gender identity and is healthy,” Chase said. “I learned a lot from the clinic in that sense.”
