Campaign To Stop Deadnaming Trans, Non-Binary Students At Australian Universities Launched
The National Union of Students’ Queer/LGBTQIA+ department has launched a national campaign to stop the deadnaming of trans, non-binary and gender diverse students. The campaign, My Records, My Rights: Stop Deadnaming at Universities!, aims to prevent the use of deadnames of students across tertiary education.A survey conducted in April 2022 by the NUS Queer/LGBTQIA+ department found that every single respondent had experienced some form of deadnaming at universities. Around 83% of students said there was a persistent deadnaming issue at their university, with 20% saying they were dead named by staff. “What students are trying to do is make sure that universities are aware of their chosen name, but the systems in place just don’t allow it,” Jordy Duffy, the National Queer/LGBTQIA+ Officer for the NUS told Star Observer. “Universities have said ‘Oh, it’s an IT issue,’ and we’re trying to basically say no, it’s about validating a person for who they are.”Jordy mentions that on top of the disappointing statistics from the survey, they’ve listened to a lot of shocking individual stories.The NUS said it has been in contact with a variety of departments and student unions throughout the country, which has only made it more apparent how widespread the issue is.