Point Park University has issued a policy that threatens disciplinary action for students who misgender other students.
In an email dated Sept. 13, university officials warned that misgendering students could result in a violation of the Policy on Discrimination and Harassment for gender-based discrimination. According to the email, “action could be taken if a complaint is filed,” though it did not specify what kind of discipline students could face for such infractions.
“Any individual who has been informed of another person’s gender identity, pronouns or chosen name is expected to respect that individual,” the letter said.
The policy also warns against “continued misuse of a chosen name” and “using an individual’s deadname after being informed of a chosen name.”
“Deadname” refers to an individual’s legal name when they prefer to use a different name with which they better identify. The school has a Preferred Name Policy, which allows students, faculty and staff to use a preferred name that differs from their legal name for things like school identification cards and class rosters.
In the e-mail to students, college officials warned against misusing an individual’s pronouns and provided a link to a Pronouns & Inclusive Language Guide, which encourages students to avoid the words “sir” and “ma’am” and to replace gender-specific words like “mother” and “father” with “parents,” or “brothers” and “sisters” with “siblings.” The guide also suggests replacing “men” and “women” with “all people” or “all genders” and replacing “he” and “she” with “they.”
“Consciously using gender inclusive language is incredibly important,” the guide said. “It’s part of having basic respect for other people.”
The university’s guidelines on misgendering students is part of their policy on discrimination and harassment, said Lou Corsaro, a university spokesperson. The policy has been in place since 2014.
The e-mail “was a reminder that situations involving intentional misgendering, use of wrong pronouns and use of deadnames can fall under that policy of discrimination and harassment,” Corsaro said.
University officials said they realized students could misgender other students or use incorrect names or pronouns without intending to discriminate. Still, the university said in its e-mail, “We must recognize that regardless of the intent, if an individual is impacted in a harmful way, action could be taken if a complaint is filed.”
Corsaro declined to provide details regarding what kind of disciplinary action students could face for violating the policy, or how many students have been disciplined for misgendering other students.
“Point Park University expects all members of its campus community — students, faculty and staff — to treat each other with respect,” Corsaro said.
