SAN DIEGO _ San Diego State University has decided to allow students to place almost any name they wish on their college diploma, largely to help transgender and non-binary people to use names that better match their preferred gender and sexual preferences.
The decision, which goes into effect next year, reflects a growing effort by the public to decide how they will be described on official records, including driver's licenses and college registration forms.
In January, California began giving people the option of describing themselves as male, female or non-binary. The LGBT Foundation says non-binary refers to people who have a gender "which is in-between or beyond the two categories 'man' and 'woman, as fluctuating between 'man' and woman', or as having no gender, either permanently or some of the time."
Gender issues also have surfaced in the University of California system, which now allows students who are applying for undergraduate admission to identify themselves as heterosexual/straight, bisexual, gay or lesbian. Students also have at least seven choices under gender, including gender nonconforming, genderqueer, transgender, trans man, trans male, trans woman or trans female.
SDSU says it allows students to fill out preferred name change forms so they can update how they are identified on such documents as faculty classroom rosters, faculty grade rosters, Blackboard and their RedID cards.
The latest change involves diplomas. For example, a person who has a distinctly male name, such as Mark, could change it to something distinctly female, such as Mary. The choice is left entirely up to the diploma-earner.
"It is our hope that this policy update will help us to continue to recognize the important contributions that transgender and non-binary students make on our campus," Rayanne Williams, SDSU's Registrar, said in a statement.
Another SDSU official, Pride Center assistant coordinator Wesley Palau, said in a statement, "The opportunity for students to have their name reflected on their hard-earned degree is not only respectful, but incredibly affirming for trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming SDSU graduates."
