Regent’s Park College, one of Oxford University’s 44 institutions specializing in the Arts and Humanities, recently issued a “Trans Inclusion Statement.” As reported by Fox News Digital, the statement details the college’s new disciplinary policy for students accused of “misgendering” or incorrectly addressing their peers in terms of their affirmed gender identity. Misgendering, which can involve using a person’s birth name or biological pronouns instead of their chosen name or pronouns, is deemed as a form of bullying or harassment under the new policy.
In its statement, Regent’s Park College emphasizes the potential disparity between an individual’s assigned sex at birth and their expressed gender identity. The policy seeks to protect individuals with any such identities, irrespective of whether they identify with their birth sex or not. It underlines that transphobic harassment or bullying contradicts both the college’s policy and the UK’s Equality Act of 2010, an anti-discrimination law.
The college has pledged to treat any unlawful discriminatory behavior, including transphobic harassment or bullying by individuals or groups, with utmost severity. Disciplinary actions, possibly including expulsion or dismissal, could be taken against offenders. These situations will be addressed under the college’s Policy on Harassment and Bullying and within the purview of the Equality Act 2010.
The college’s policy further notes that those who don’t conform to binary gender norms may face more harassment than those who clearly identify as male or female. It suggests that repeated misgendering of an individual, even if claimed to be accidental, could be perceived as harassment by the individual in question. The policy ensures the protection of those perceived to be transgender, including intersex individuals, from any form of bullying or harassment, regardless of the accuracy of such perceptions.
Students are strictly prohibited from engaging in any “inappropriate behaviors towards trans people, such as making derogatory jokes, denying or disputing someone’s transgender identity, excessively intrusive or personal questioning, and refusing to treat a person according to their affirmed identity.” The policy states that all alleged breaches of these guidelines will be meticulously investigated on an individual basis.