Nova Southeastern University has made considerable progress when it comes to trans people. The university has employed trans people on its staff and, most notably, created a gender-neutral bathroom in the Don Taft University Center.
This is progress considering that there are plenty of schools where trans people can’t be protected or represented due to discriminatory legislation or policies.
Despite this, NSU is a private institution and is not affected by most anti-trans laws. So what’s holding them back from doing more? More importantly, where would they start?
One of the top issues that transgender students on campus could be facing is the most essential tool they have for navigating campus: their SharkCards.
For a transgender person, identification cards such as a SharkCard that uses a name that does not align with their gender can make life much harder for them. As Johnny Cash has said, “Life ain’t easy for a boy named Sue.”
Even though Cash did not have trans people in mind, the same can be said for a woman named John or any other trans person who has to hand over their SharkCard to buy food or scan it to enter their residence hall only to have their deadname and, in the worst cases, a picture of them before their transition.
For those who aren’t trans, please imagine if–for almost every function on campus – you had to show the most embarrassing picture of yourself and the worst nickname you’ve ever been called. I’m sure that picture of you drooling in your sleep and being introduced as “Crybaby” would make you want to change it right away.
That’s the solution, right? Just change it.
Well, yes, a name change is the inevitable road all trans people who did not transition before puberty will have to go down. This does not mean it is easy. It can take months to get a court date and a name change–despite being one of the simpler civil complaints to address–is still very costly for the average person, especially the average college student. These name changes vary by state and can be anywhere from $500 to $700.
During this time, the student will have to continue on with the deadname on all official records, even at NSU, where they should be most protected.
Currently NSU only offers a name change on records or a SharkCard –a data change, as it’s called–if the student has already legally changed their name and can provide a new social security card or passport. See the problem? How can a university, which holds diversity as a core value, undermine one of its most vulnerable student groups by allowing, by policy, misgendering?
For legal reasons, it makes sense. If the name on all I.D. associated with the person is John, why will Jane get a degree then? The answer is because John was always Jane. If the individual plans to get a legal name change, especially if they have already received a court date, NSU administration should allow immediate public documents such as the SharkCard, diploma and outlook name, which currently can’t be changed, to reflect the transition the student is undertaking.
This comes at no cost to the university and can mitigate psychological damage to any trans students who have chosen NSU as their home. As long as the student has expressed a committed desire to change their legal name, and there are records to identify the student–even if by their deadname–in case of an emergency, NSU is simply dragging its feet on this important issue. Misgendering by policy is still misgendering.
