This guide is designed to help transgender and nonbinary students at W&L navigate services they may or may not want to utilize during or after social, medical and/or legal transition.
Policies and services are presented to assist with identifying preferred name, changing one's name in W&L records, changing ones gender marker in W&L records, or how to change legal name and/or gender marker on government-issued documents.
(The way these terms are defined are for the purpose of understanding the following instructions. These are not necessarily the most complete or widely used definitions.)
The name that is on a person’s government issued forms of identification (e.g., Driver’s license, Passport, Birth Certificate, ID card). Legal names are considered a person's primary name and used across the campus for many purposes such as transcripts. Legal name is used on campus directory and class rosters if a preferred name has not been identified. Legal name is also used externally for enrollment verification reporting (e.g., enrollment verification for employment, insurance, or loans).
The gender marker (e.g., Male, Female, or X) that is on a person's government issued forms of identification (e.g., Driver's license, Passport, Birth Certificate, ID card). Depending on where your form(s) of identification is (are) issued from, these might not always align. For example, you might reside in a state that only allows M or F for a legal gender marker on a Driver's License, but are able to obtain a U.S. passport with either an M, F, or X. Note that the U.S. Department of State does NOT require your Legal Gender on your Passport to match that on your ID or citizenship documents.
Changing the name or gender marker on legal documents such as government issued identification documents (e.g., driver's license, birth certificate, passport). As noted with Legal Gender, it is possible to have different legal genders on multiple documents, thus it is possible that even though your or someone has legally transitioned in some areas, it might not be possible in others. Additionally, there are different requirements for changing the legal gender on forms of identification that vary from state to state.
The process of using medical procedures/interventions (such as hormone therapy, electrolysis, surgical or others) to live in accordance with one's gender identity and desired gender expression. Also known as gender-confirmation procedures. Note: the plural is used intentionally, as many people commonly ask "Have they had THE surgery," when there, in fact, can be multiple procedures involved. Not all trans/non-binary people undergo medical transition(s). Sometimes they do not feel a need or desire to have one or more of these surgeries, and sometimes they are unable to access these procedures (either due to cost or unable to find a provider who will perform these).
The first name by which a person prefers to go by and be known as. The term "Preferred First Name" is used at W&L to match the label of the Workday provided field for capturing and storing the data. Synonyms of "preferred" include selected, chosen, favored, and picked. Members of the University community are free to choose the name by which they prefer to be known and which is reflected in the University's information systems, so long as use of the different name is not inappropriate (for example, use of profanity or language that has the effect of mockery or misrepresentation). Preferred first name will be used wherever possible in the course of University business and education, except where the use of the legal first name is required by law, for external entity reporting purposes, or otherwise. Students and Employees who wish to designate a preferred first name can do so directly within the Workday application. See below for more information and links to how-to guides.
This does not change the name shown as your legal name in university records. For post-graduation changes see Campus Resources: General Alumni Association (DAVIE Records).
Like with Preferred First Name, Gender Identity and Pronouns can be disclosed in Workday. Viewing Gender Identity at a student-by-student level is limited to select individuals on campus. Gender Identity data for employees is only accessible by Human Resources.
Pronouns can be selected from a pre-defined list in Workday (shown below), but as of August 2023, these are only displayed in a select few other campus services/platforms, such as ERezLife. Integrating other services/platforms to pull this information (when permitted by the individual) is in progress.