This statement was agreed by Department Committee on 29 November 2017.
Departmental statement on transgender* students, staff and visitors
The department is committed to supporting trans staff, students and visitors. The department follows the University transgender policy and guidance which have recently been revised and are available at www.admin.ox.ac.uk/eop/transgender .
The University has established processes for staff and students to change central University records in relation to their name and recorded gender:
Students: see www.ox.ac.uk/students/life/studentrecord
Staff: contact the departmental HR Team.
The department recognises that it is important that people’s preferences on name/title/pronoun are observed. Not all departmental sources of information are derived automatically from central University sources, and so data in the department may need to be updated separately. All individuals should feel able to ask for this to be updated and any expressed preference on language or pronouns should be respected. If you have any queries you are encouraged to contact: firstname.lastname@example.org / (2)83873 / room S0.19, Andrew Wiles Building.
The following informal guidelines from the Equality Challenge Unit** on how to treat trans people may be helpful for colleagues or fellow students.
- Think of the person as being the gender that they self-identify as.
- Use the name and pronoun that the person asks you to. If you aren’t sure what the right pronoun is, politely ask them what name and pronoun they use. If you make a mistake with pronouns, correct yourself and move on. Don’t make a big deal out of it.
People with a non-binary gender identity may feel uncomfortable when gendered language is used about them. Since our University includes people who have a non-binary gender identity, members of the University are encouraged to adopt less gendered language. For example:
- Some phrasing can avoid highlighting gender e.g. ‘Your visitor [name] is waiting in Reception. Will you come and meet them?’ not ‘Will you come and meet him?’
- Those moderating public events might consider welcoming ‘Colleagues and guests’ or similar.
All building users should be able to choose which facilities they use. For this reason the Andrew Wiles Building has a selection of gender-neutral, male and female toilets and washing facilities. These are located as described at:
This information will be routinely communicated to those organising events and other conferences in the building.
Any suggestions for additions to this policy are welcomed. These, and any queries about transgender issues, should be directed to:
Room S0.19, Andrew Wiles Building
email@example.com / (2)83873
* “Transgender” (Trans) here refers to the following groups:
- People covered by the Equality Act definition: “A person has the protected characteristic of gender reassignment if the person is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of reassigning the person's sex by changing physiological or other attributes of sex.”
- People who do not wish to transition permanently to a new gender role, but who identify as genderqueer, gender variant or intersex or who choose to live permanently with a more fluid gender identity.
** Trans staff and students in HE and colleges: improving experiences (2016) Equality Challenge Unit