Almost seven years after it first gave a gender-neutral graduation certificate to a student on request, Hyderabad's National Academy of Legal Studies and Research (Nalsar) has started designating spaces gender-neutral as part of a first-of-its-kind trans policy the university is finalising. 🗞️ Subscribe Now: Get Express Premium to access the best Election reporting and analysis 🗞️ Vice-Chancellor Faizan Mustafa said that the university aimed to create a safe and inclusive campus. The ground floor of the GH-6 building has been designated as a gender-neutral space with rooms allotted to students self-identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer plus) community, with plans to move towards a gender-neutral hostel in due course. The washroom on the academic block's ground floor is also gender-neutral. The university already has an interim policy in place to address inclusivity concerns of the LGBTQ+ community and a final policy is in the works. The GH-6 building houses a hostel, which may later fully become a gender-neutral hostel. In June 2015, a 22-year-old BA LLB student requested not be identified by gender in the graduation certificate. The university promptly accepted the request and used the neutral prefix of “Mx”. It was the beginning of the institution’s efforts to make it inclusive. The university is working to designate more areas as gender-neutral, Mustafa said. “We have requested students to identify themselves and based on their preference, we are creating safe and inclusive spaces for everyone. As per the trans policy that we are adopting, there will be more changes on the campus,’’ he said. The “Policy on Inclusive Education for Gender and Sexual Minorities’’ has been drafted by the university’s trans policy committee. As per the draft policy, self-identification requiring no more than a written self-attested declaration will be the basis for recognition of gender identity and sexual orientation. Gender in the official records should be independent of applicants’ honorific titles in legal documents such as birth certificates or Aadhaar cards. We are pleased to share that in our endeavour to make our campus a truly inclusive space, the ground floor of GH-6 has been designated as a gender neutral space with rooms allotted to students self-identifying as members of the LGBTQ+ community, with plans to move towards a pic.twitter.com/163JeSGQ99 — NALSAR University of Law (@NALSAR_Official) March 26, 2022 As per the policy, all documentation and records shall reflect self-identified gender identities and not assigned ones. Name and pronoun change options shall be available regardless of one's declared gender identity. Self-identified gender identity and sexual orientation shall form the basis for all protections and entitlements that flow from this policy, such as hostel accommodation and the right to file grievances of discrimination. No member of the gender and sexual minority community shall be outed, without their express consent, to a third party including parents or guardians. Every student, including transgender ones, shall be accommodated in hostels for girls or boys or gender-neutral hostels in a manner that aligns with their self-identified gender and choice. A self-attested declaration shall be sufficient for all purposes and no further evidence (legal, medical or otherwise) shall be called for. The university cannot insist on gender-based dress codes or hairstyles in any educational, academic or curricular space. Gender-neutral washrooms shall be provided as and where possible. Persons belonging to gender and sexual minorities shall have the same rights to access and inhabit spaces as their cisgender counterparts have, without any mobility restrictions. The draft policy states that the university shall support students who are medically transitioning. Such support includes medical aid (assistance in administering injections, arranging hormone pills, etc), reasonable accommodation in hostels, relaxations in academic obligations and financial aid. The policy states that the university has to enhance the representation of gender and sexual minorities in all spheres of its functioning, including student bodies, faculty members, support staff, the academic curriculum and reading materials. The categories of male and female hostel representatives must be replaced with “residence representatives” for each hostel. The committee also suggested the university appoint a gender and sexual minority officer, who will also act as the complaint officer. A gender and sexual minority committee shall be formed.
