U New Mexico requires use of preferred pronouns
The University of New Mexico has a policy designed to make school personnel comply with preferred pronouns.
Policy 2720 states that '[t]he intentional or persistent refusal to respect a preferred or affirmed name or pronoun can constitute discrimination or harassment.'
The University of New Mexico (UNM) has a policy designed to make school personnel comply with preferred pronouns.
Outlined in its “Policies and Procedures Manual,” Policy 2720 states that “[t]he intentional or persistent refusal to respect a preferred or affirmed name or pronoun can constitute discrimination or harassment.”
“Individuals shall not be required to obtain a court-ordered name change before being addressed by the first name and pronoun that corresponds to their gender identity,” the policy states in the manual’s “Gender Identity” section.
The manual ”serves as the official reference source for institutional policies and procedures” to “assist those persons in the various organizations of the University responsible for carrying out the administrative functions of their organizations.”
The specific policy does not specify which repercussions individuals would face for using pronouns based on a person’s biological sex.
[Related: Universities struggle to keep up with gender and pronoun changes]
UNM appears to have added the policy to its website in the spring 2018 semester. The university did not have a “Gender Identity” section in its manual prior to the update.
The policy also gives students the option to pick their bathrooms. It states that “[i]ndividuals shall be provided access to designated gender-specific facilities consistent with their gender identity.”
UNM Residence Life also allows students to “pick a room that aligns with their gender identity, without the need for documentation.”
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While it is unclear how these policies can be reconciled with a student’s First Amendment rights, the policy assures that it “is not intended to inhibit or restrict free speech or the expression of ideas.”
The University of New Mexico and the UNM LGBTQ Resource Center have been contacted for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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