Gender Recognition Act Update and Next Steps

Last November, I asked Douglas Haynes, vice provost for academic equity, diversity and inclusion, and Ramona Agrela, associate chancellor and chief human resources executive, to co-lead a steering committee composed of key members from units across campus to advise senior leadership related to the Gender Recognition Act (SB 179). The committee has completed its work: It reports that the majority of campus units and systems are ready to adopt a third gender identity marker and has made recommendations to promote a more inclusive culture for UCI’s transgender community.

In order to advance our collective ambition for UCI to be a national leader and global model of inclusive excellence, I am assigning Vice Provost Haynes to oversee implementation of the committee’s recommendations that fall outside the initial scope of the Gender Recognition Act. He will be assisted by a campuswide task force charged with reviewing and advising on practices for enhancing educational and training resources. The Office of Inclusive Excellence will provide a final report in the spring quarter.

These next steps will help ensure that both our systems and our principles of community are aligned to best support members of our community who identify as nonbinary, intersex or transgender.

Chancellor Howard Gillman