Otago Uni adds gender options. (confusion alert)

Otago Daily Times 12 January 2019
Family First Comment:  Amazingly, Otago University has a medical school, based (we hope) on Biology! 
“Whereas in the past students could choose female, male or X for indeterminate, students this year can identify as “gender diverse”, and, if they want to, specify whether they are a male or female, a transgender man, a transgender woman or non-binary transgender. There is also the option of calling themselves Mx or Id in addition to the titles Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms – and students can change their gender in their student details without having to provide any supporting paperwork.”A queer rights advocate is “really happy” gender-diverse students now have more options to identify when giving their enrolment details to the University of Otago. 

Whereas in the past students could choose female, male or X for indeterminate, students this year can identify as “gender diverse”, and, if they want to, specify whether they are a male or female, a transgender man, a transgender woman or non-binary transgender.

There is also the option of calling themselves Mx or Id in addition to the titles Mr, Mrs, Miss or Ms – and students can change their gender in their student details without having to provide any supporting paperwork.

OUSA former queer support co-ordinator Hahna Briggs said she was “really happy” students could now use those options to express their identity.

For about 18 months OUSA and the university had been discussing the possibility of having more options to choose from, and Ms Briggs said she had been in a number of conversations with staff and had supported someone who was pushing for the change.

Ms Briggs, who also organised Dunedin Pride last year, has since left her position but is still active within OUSA as a senior student support advocate. In the past, the University of Otago had only male and female options on enrolment forms due to requirements set out by the Ministry of Education.
READ MORE: https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/campus/university-of-otago/uni-adds-gender-options

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