Fix the Cistem campaign is calling for the University to commit to supporting, respecting and protecting trans students with three clear actions:
- Stop sharing deadnames on the University of Leeds IT systems
- Zero tolerance of all forms of transphobia
- Honesty, transparency and the repairing of the relationship between trans students and the University
The University has responded to the actions we have outlined, and they have accepted that ongoing change is needed to ensure trans students are safe and respected on campus. LUU and the LGBT+ Society are committed to making sure these changes happen.
We have put together the three clear actions we called for, and how the University have responded (in italics).
Stop sharing deadnames on the University of Leeds IT systems
A deadname is a name a transgender person was given at birth that they no longer use.
Deadnames of trans students are shared with tutors, fellow students and members of University staff throughout the University’s IT systems, which puts trans students at risk of harm and harassment in the real world. We agree with the University’s acknowledgement that the IT systems are not fit for purpose. The University does plan to replace outdated systems, but states this will take five years. This still leaves trans students and staff exposed to deadnaming, which affects their wellbeing and safety. In March 2022 we insisted that the University must:
- Create an effective manual process for the handling of data of trans staff and students as a matter of urgency. If there are still people being deadnamed, then this process is not effective.
- Communicate with students and staff about the status of deadnaming on IT systems and give clear deadlines to remove this.
LUU and LUU LGBT+ Society have offered to work with the University on this.
The University’s response and actions we will follow up with are:
A £76 million, multi-faceted five-year project is underway to modernise our IT systems, aspects of which are out-of-date and in critical need of improvement. This includes significant investment in new systems which will address deadnaming. We understand the urgency in addressing identity management in the meantime, and a temporary and improved process was introduced in March 2022.
As of October 2022, LUU and the LGBT+ Society still have reports of some trans students being deadnamed by parts of the IT systems.
Though it is a step in the right direction to have an interim manual process in place, we are concerned that it may still have shortcomings due to the different interfaces and systems involved. The University needs to communicate this to students. Deadnaming is a serious issue and can put students at risk, so we want to see more clarity around the timelines to resolve the issues we have raised, permanently.
We have been working during the summer to progress a new Identity and Access Management (IDAM) system, which will give staff and students greater control to update their digital identities. It will also make the process faster, easier and, importantly, it will streamline updates across the hundreds of other systems in use around the University. The project team is currently reviewing hundreds of applications that are used by staff and students to look at how these processes will work and interact with our new identity and access management system. The new system will begin being deployed fully in the second semester of the 2022/23 academic year.
As the system is introduced on a phased basis, the team will be consulting on this process with students and staff, including LUU elected officers and our LGBT+ networks. Updates will be posted on the Equality and Inclusion Unit (EIU) webpages.
In conjunction with the new system being implemented, training for staff is also planned to support them to refresh their understanding of their obligations around privacy and data.
We thank LUU elected officers and members of our trans community for their goodwill in being prepared to work with us on the delivery of this important piece of work.
We agree that this is a very important piece of work. We want to work with the University to ensure students, and especially trans students, are consulted and involved in this process to ensure it is fit for purpose.
Zero tolerance of all forms of transphobia
Transphobia is abhorrent and affects trans people every day. Sadly trans students also face this on campus. Trans students and staff have been speaking out about feeling unsafe within the University – online and on campus. They feel they’re not taken seriously and are uncomfortable reporting instances of transphobia to the University. Trans students and staff should be heard, listened to and supported by their university.
There needs to be an active effort to facilitate a culture change on campus. In March 2022 we called for the University to:
- Release a public statement condemning transphobia in all forms, with a commitment to support and protect trans students, and reaffirm the process to deal with transphobia on campus, including how incidents of transphobia are to be disciplined. The public statement should reaffirm the University’s position, as set out in the Freedom of Expression protocol and its Public Sector Equality Duty “[to] have due regard to the need to foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it”.
- Commit to the robust enforcement of the University’s zero-tolerance policy in order to protect trans students who have been victims of transphobia.
The University’s response and actions we will follow up with are:
We are committed to creating a community that actively supports all people and which opposes discrimination. We strive to create a space that is free from behaviours such as violence, abuse, bullying, harassment, sexual misconduct, and all forms of discrimination. All reports of unacceptable behaviour are taken very seriously, and we are committed to addressing issues that are raised.
In the unfortunate event that these incidents do occur, we take every step to ensure that those affected can report what has happened and receive the help they need to feel safe and supported.
Our next steps are to work with the University to see that they are taking practical steps to enforce this zero-tolerance approach by showing us their staff are adequately trained to deal with reports of harassment and bullying. Trans students feel that they need specific trans student welfare officers, and they need to proactively contact trans students and give them extra help and support.
Our new reporting system, Report & Support, is now live. There has been increased investment in the Student Support Team, and staff members will receive trans awareness training. Work is underway to raise awareness of the new reporting tool and support services.
We actively address transphobia through prevention and we are working on projects with the Equality and Inclusion Unit, LUU, accommodation services and student support to deliver this. We plan to extend the reach of trans awareness training and embed an ‘allyship’ approach.
We would like the University to demonstrate this training to trans students, so we can be reassured that the training is useful and adequate. We are concerned that general trans awareness training may not go far enough, and will be pushing the University to make sure their training centres the welfare needs of trans people, rather than just awareness. We need the University to show its trans students what these projects are, and they need to include trans students and staff in their development, to be open and transparent.
Honesty, transparency and the repairing of the relationship between trans students and the University
The trans community at the University of Leeds deserve an explanation and genuine commitment to the inclusion of the trans community in the University’s strategic vision of a ‘fairer future for all’.
LUU-elected Equality representatives weren’t included in a timely manner within the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work relating to the ongoing IT systems project and associated wider project to improve the University’s ‘Guidance to Support Trans Staff and Students’ document. In March 2022 we called on the University to ensure LUU-elected representatives would be the first point of contact in these matters, and that the University should engage with the Union regularly on these issues.
The University’s response and actions we will follow up with are:
The University of Leeds is committed to fostering a supportive and respectful environment for trans students and recognises that, to do this, we need positive and constructive relationships with members of the trans community. We recognise that the last two years have been difficult and so our priority for the coming months is to focus on community-building, guided by our four values: collaboration, compassion, inclusivity and integrity.
Our first Director of EDI has been appointed and is looking to develop new and systemic ways of working together, so that diverse voices are centred in the design and implementation of EDI initiatives. The Equity and Inclusion Unit will work closely with LUU elected officers on EDI issues, in order that trans perspectives and lived experiences are meaningfully represented.
While we want to work to represent trans voices with the University, trans students have told us that they are still concerned that the University has previously not met its commitments to them to adequately inform them of the work they are doing for trans members. We will follow up with the University to bring forward trans student voices.
What’s next?
We acknowledge that the University has taken some action on several of the calls we have made, and we appreciate their response. As your Students’ Union, our concern is the welfare of our students. We are committed to ensure the University does Fix the Cistem so that trans students and staff feel safe and respected – and we know our work is far from over.
We are still receiving reports of deadnaming happening via University of Leeds IT systems. If this is happening to you, or if you are facing transphobia at University, please get in touch with Haryati Mohammed, your Equality & Liberation Officer, so she can hold the University to account on the work that still needs to be done.
This campaign shows that you can shape your student experience and make real change happen. If you have an idea you want to bring forward, find out more on our Better Forums & Policy webpages.
