Expanded options now available for gender declaration

Starting this fall, UVic will offer expanded gender declaration options to all students and employees through Banner, UVic’s primary information system. Rather than being restricted to one gender field (female/male/not available), UVic community members can now update their gender identity (man/non-binary/woman/prefer not to answer) and gender expression (cisgender/transgender/prefer not to answer).

The Office of the Registrar and Human Resources have led the project to expand gender declaration options in Banner.

“There has been student feedback for years that [non-binary and transgender people] do not see themselves in the options we provide at UVic,” says Deputy Registrar Wendy Taylor. “After years of advocacy, we are excited to do more to support gender diversity on campus to accurately represent our students.”

“At its core, this project is about respect. When an employee can select gender identity and expression options that reflect who they are, they are shown respect as individuals. This project is one way that UVic is demonstrating its commitment to address barriers to employment and create an environment where all employees can feel a sense of belonging.”

—Sarah Hood, Director, Organization Development & Learning Service.

Being able to report on the gender composition of students and employees can be useful in campus planning and policy decisions, and in advocating for our community. It can help to identify where non-binary students are under-represented in academic programs or identify areas with few transgender applicants. Having expanded data will be useful in developing priorities where UVic needs to better integrate gender and diversity-inclusive approaches to programs and services.

The collection of this information responds to new guidelines set by the BC government with the intention to increase inclusivity and gender equity for non-binary and transgender people. This change will also support Gender-Based Analysis Plus research led by the Government of Canada to collect disaggregated data to look at how intersecting identities (gender alongside other social identities) may impact the effectiveness of government initiatives.

UVic’s next steps are to update systems beyond Banner to include expanded gender declaration options. Currently, non-binary and transgender peoples are asked to update their gender information in multiple spaces. In the future it is hoped that when a person updates their gender declaration through one system, it will signal for changes to be made to other UVic record systems.

Additional Information:

Learn more about the project and how you can update your gender declaration in Banner and for project updates.