Gender Recognition Act

Last fall, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the Gender Recognition Act (California Senate Bill 179). It streamlines the process for Californians to change their gender markers and creates a nonbinary gender category (“x” or “nb”) on California birth certificates, driver’s licenses, identity cards and gender-change court orders.

As part of the bill, all state university systems and offices that store and use gender categories – such as our housing and registrar’s offices – must be updated to include a nonbinary option. All reports indicating gender must also be adjusted to include nonbinary people.

I have asked Douglas M. Haynes, vice provost for academic equity, diversity & inclusion, and Ramona Agrela, associate chancellor and chief human resources executive, to co-lead a steering committee comprising key members from many units across our campus to advise senior leadership and ensure full compliance with the requirements of the Gender Recognition Act.

At UCI, we pride ourselves on our inclusive excellence. The Gender Recognition Act, which goes into effect January 1, 2019, allows us the opportunity to align our systems with our principles of community and enables us to fully support, embrace and affirm our growing gender-diverse community through our policies, data systems and daily practices. These actions will support members of our community who identify as nonbinary, intersex or transgender.

You can learn more about the Gender Recognition Act and UCI’s gender resources by clicking here. To learn more about our LGBTQ community and how you can support it, click here.

Fiat Lux,

Chancellor Howard Gillman