First I would like to apologise for not getting to this sooner, I've got no idea how it slipped the net.
The main place you need to contact is the administration at your department. I've only seen a change of name form for Research Degree Students online (I can send you a link if you like), though your faculty will have them on paper. I'd email the main office at your department to ask if they had a change of name form, they may then redirect you somewhere else within your department (it depends on the individual structure). When you get one, you'll need to fill it out, probably show some new ID and hand it in to them. Your department will inform the university, and changes will be made to your main record. You'll need to get a new student card from the Central Student Administration counter on Level 10 in the E.C. Stoner Building. You may not have to pay the usual £10 for a new card if you produce your old one, as they state on their site that the £10 charge is for missing cards, and they do not charge for reinstating old ones that haven't been lost (there is no mention of change of name).
Once that's all done email helpdesk@leeds.ac.uk to tell ISS about your namechange, and you should be done.
Is that ok?
PS: I'm assuming you've changed your name legally? If not, I'm afraid that's actually something that you need to do first.
Hope you don't mind me butting in here jake. Your information is slightly incorrect.
Firsty you need to change you name legally, either by deed poll or (much quicker) get a statitory decloration from a solicitor. The latter cost ~ £40-£50 but is much less hastle. The solictor witnesses your new name and the document is then legally standing.
Step 2: Go to see central student administration with above form and they will change your name on the system then and there for you. This is also the same with banks etc.
Don't worry about anything. If you are also seeing a gender specialist and have been diagnosed with gender disphoria you are entitled, under the gender recognition act, to apply for a gender recognition certificate. This certificate means that you are fully, legally, recognised as your true gender rather than your birth gender. Again this cn be shown to central student admin where theycan change your documents to your correct gender.
Hope everything goes well for you honey.
xxx
__________________
"I can resist everything but temptation" - Oscar Wilde
Thankss cazz. I wasn't aware it could be done directly through the central student admin, but I think my info generally stands too. There seems to be more than one way to do it.
From info I'd gathered on departmenal websites, the process I described was the way change of name generally occurs - for other reasons too - ie marriage. If it can be done through CSA, that's good, and may be something people may feel far more comfortable with.
I should be having a meeting with someone from the equality service in September to help make it a lot clearer.
(hopefully this shows up a few more options anon!)
Minor nit-picking with Caz's statement - You can only get a Gender Recognition Certificate if you can prove you've been living in your new gender full-time for two years to the authorities responsible for issuing them, which includes stuff such as evidence of employment/education under a new name. Still, once you've been through the wringer of treatment it shouldn't be too hard to get one, and it's really only necessary to get a new birth certificate. I imagine the university will let you change your gender on their records without the need for the certificate - evidence of name change and perhaps a doctor's letter will do.
I need to ask you to follow the board rules and abstain from posting responses on welfare threads. I appreciate the point of information, and I'm glad you can share what you know, but really for the sake of users we need to stick to the rules, and also retain focus on the people asking question.
Please send a pm or an email (luu.lgbt@leeds.ac.uk) if you'd like to discuss this further.
I make no effort to be condescending to anyone, and so there's no-one I can "choose" to do it to. One of my roles as a committee member and welfare officer is to uphold any rules we agree on. It'd be very difficult to do this and still conceal my authority and responsibilities that put me in that position. I have every respect for people on this board whether I ask them to discontinue their habits or not.
If you do have a problem with the way I'm fulfilling my role, then please contact me personally, I won't bite but I'll be able to talk to you directly, explain anything that's been misinterpreted, without jeopardising the confidence that this resource needs.
Again (just making sure people don't assume, as you have implied, that I hadn't looked on the university website when this question was originally posted) I don't see any info on the E & D page, I'm looking again now, if you've got a link to the specific page where this is addressed please PM it to me also, but as far as i can see the info simply isn't there.
After an email to the Equality and Diversity department, the reply also indicated no website resource for how it's done, and the meeting was proposed by them. But any way, I'd much prefer to defend this privately if you hadn't posted anonymously.
I need to stress that this sort of comment needs a follow up to be useful in either improving the way we work, or putting you at ease. Whereas, like this, all it does is make these boards seem far more difficult to turn to than they should. It also greatly detracts from the point of this thread which should be focused on helping our original poster.
So please contact me through the Private Messaging system to talk it through or use the email address posted above. And the same again to anyone reading who may be swayed by the implications of the previous anonymous post. I want to do whatever I can to keep your confidence in me.
After an email to the Equality and Diversity department, the reply also indicated no website resource for how it's done, and the meeting was proposed by them. But any way, I'd much prefer to defend this privately if you hadn't posted anonymously.
May I suggest that before you pick fault with someone for posting anonymously, you take the time to just remember that you are insisting people post on the welfare boards anonymously, the poster has posted according to your rules (which you are happy to remind us, is your job to enforce), so why are you taking a dig at them for doing so? You would also and I am certain on this be only too happy to take a dig at them and tell them that they have to post on here anonymously, if they hadn't have posted anonymously. You need to decide which you want members to do and stick with it. Can't have it both ways.
Anyway, heres some information that may help you...
www.leeds.ac.uk
At the bottom of the page is a black box, then theres a list of links in white. You need to click on the Admin & services link which will then take you to a page with drop down menu's. Go for the top menu Administration: websites, on the drop down menu select disability services & that will take you to the Equality pages. Failing that you can just type in www.equality.leeds.ac.uk alternatively if you do a google search (uk) for Leeds Uiversity Equality & Diversity, its the very first page that appears on the search results.
Once on that page select the equality & diversity option then in the menus on the right hand side of the screen select information. That will bring up a list of equality and diversity topics such as age, disability, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation.
Other than that I suggest that it would be a good idea to look at the assembly section of this forum, particularly the threads 'Equality & Diversity meting' and 'assembly achievments' as well as "Conference!" as there is an idea of what work has already been done around this union & university with regards to LGBT, especially Trans rights.
Also just for the record, there have been talks held with the CSA manager & the LGBT, in the past who provided the information that you have to speak directly to them about it and produce the relevant documentation ie. Statuatory declaration or name change by Deed poll in order to have your name changed on all the systems. Same with a gender recognition certificate.
Minor nit-picking with Caz's statement - You can only get a Gender Recognition Certificate if you can prove you've been living in your new gender full-time for two years to the authorities responsible for issuing them, which includes stuff such as evidence of employment/education under a new name. Still, once you've been through the wringer of treatment it shouldn't be too hard to get one, and it's really only necessary to get a new birth certificate. I imagine the university will let you change your gender on their records without the need for the certificate - evidence of name change and perhaps a doctor's letter will do.
Sorry chick, I thought the 2 year period was implied but I'm glad you clarified this matter that I missed out on slightly.
As far as I know, however, the uni will only change gender upon reciept of a gender Recognition Certificate (as this goes hand in hand with the Gender Recognition Act). As unfortunate as this is if you commit a crime before you recieve said certificate you will go to a prison under you birth gender. (Fact of the day)
Thank you Tim. You are fabulous!
:o)
x
__________________
"I can resist everything but temptation" - Oscar Wilde
I'll try to be clear. I'm asking that you not post here at all. Those are the rules. Anonymity doesn't come into that. Anonymity is a rule maintained for the safety of the only people who should be posting - those with welfare a problems
If you want to report something, then the venue for that are places I have twice already referenced in this thread and it is there that anonymity is a hindrance, because anonymity makes no way for honest dialogue, from which, actual progress can be made. As I've said, I'm listening. Since asking that I be contacted elsewhere, I've received no emails to the LGBT email address, and no one has privately contacted me. The isolation of these accusations to the publicity does little but attack confidence in me.
I'll state again for the benefit of anyone else who may ask my help; I know how to use the university website, and used it to try and find what information I could, and was checking it again (as i explained) while writing you my last reply, therefore guiding me to it, is something you don't need to do. Further than that, there was no direction to a PAGE where it states an answer to the users question, therefore unless there's something you're still not stating - there is nothing I'm missing. It does have a little trans information, but not the answer to this (as far as i can see, if i was wrong it would have been a great help if you'd provided a direct link).
Finally, previous contact with the equality department is an absolutely insane reason not to make further contact, and it's evidently not one which they considered when they suggested a meeting.
I've stated the routes people need to take to complain. All that seems to be happening here, is me rushing explain myself on a number of accumulating insinuations. It's tiring, does not help anyone and is pulling my time away from what I really could be contributing to the lgbt.
So I'm going to close this thread and leave it here.
As ever, PM me or email luu.lgbt@leeds.ac.uk if you want to chat about it further.
The comment about the csa manager fella, was actually helpful, I just wish it could have been delivered without the rest of the post which caused this thread to need closure.
