Support for AB 2023

09 March 2020

RE: Support for AB 2023 (Chiu)

T-Cal is writing in support of your Assembly Bill 2023. AB 2023 ensures that California’s public colleges and universities allow transgender and nonbinary students to have their chosen name printed on their diploma, and provides a standardized process for updating the records of former students so their name and gender are accurately reflected on critical documents.

Transgender and nonbinary students face many barriers at schools, one of which is obtaining educational documents and official school records with their gender identity and name accurately reflected. If a person’s transcript or diploma has the wrong name, the document can effectively “out” the person to anyone who sees it—putting them at risk of discrimination or harm. 

Many colleges and universities have taken steps to provide students with the ability to designate a chosen or affirmed name on external-facing documents – such as student ID cards, college email and registration accounts, and in grading. However, most colleges do not provide an option for transgender and nonbinary students whose chosen name is different from their legal name to have their chosen name printed on their college diploma when they graduate. In addition, the process for getting a college transcript or diploma reissued with an updated name varies widely and is not standardized across our higher education institutions.

Students should not be ‘deadnamed’ – referred to by the name they were assigned at birth, rather than by their affirmed or chosen name – on their diploma, which is the ceremonial document commemorating years of hard work and achievement. AB 2023 requires public colleges in California to provide graduating transgender and nonbinary students the option to have their chosen name printed on their college diploma, rather than their legal name. The bill also sets out a standard process for colleges to use when former students need to amend their records.

T-Cal’s members would directly benefit from this bill considering that our group comprises of transgender and nonbinary students at University of California, Berkeley, many of whom are in the process of transitioning on campus. Having academic documents that affirm our identities and deter discriminatory practices once we have completed our degrees would be immensely desirable and impactful.

For these reasons, T-Cal is pleased to support AB 2023.

Sincerely,

Marc Lim

Director, T-Cal (Trans and Nonbinary Support Group)

Registered Student Organization at the University of California, Berkeley