Stanford University

Last edited Sunday, 1 Apr 2012

Basic Information

School Profile Picture:

Public/Private:

Private

City:

Stanford

State:

Degrees Offered:

Undergraduate

Graduate

Professional (MBA, JD, etc.)

Administrative and Legal Protections

Non-Discrimination Policy:

Stanford University admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the University. Consistent with its obligations under the law, Stanford prohibits unlawful discrimination, including harassment, on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law in the administration of the University's programs and activities. [http://www.stanford.edu/dept/registrar/bulletin/4069.htm]

Local Laws:

On October 10th, 2011, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the Gender Nondiscrimination Act, making "gender identity and expression" its own protected category at work, at school, in housing, at public accommodations and in other settings. He also signed into law the Vital Statistics Modernization Act, making it easier for transgender people to get a court-ordered gender change and updated birth certificate. Both laws apply across the entire state of California.

Campus Life

Campus Pride Rating:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Campus Climate:

While being a transgender student at Stanford (or most places) isn’t without some difficulty, you’re going to have enough advocates and friends that the one bad apple isn’t going to be a real problem. Though it might be a little uncomfortable having to come out multiple times, professors and other students are usually understanding. Stanford also has a nondiscrimination policy that protects students against discrimination based on gender identity, as well as an Acts of Intolerance protocol that prevents students from getting away with implicitly and blatantly transphobic behavior. Many transgender people live stealth and don’t come out once they come to Stanford. The (open) transgender community at Stanford is very small and close knit – there are usually a small group of out trans* undergraduates in any given year, and we are a strong family. Additionally, there are also out trans* graduate students, post-docs, staff and faculty on campus. Currently, there is a quarterly dinner, and every winter quarter there is also a Transgender Awareness Week organized by queer students groups on campus. All in all, Stanford is a good place to be trans*!

Housing Policy:

Stanford Housing is very willing to meet the needs of transgender students, and transgender students have the same housing options as cisgender students.

Gender-Neutral Housing Options:

Stanford has a robust gender-inclusive housing program. First year undergraduate students who would like to live in gender-inclusive housing, or would like a roommate of a particular gender can contact the frosh gender identity liaison who will help find housing that meets the students’ needs.

Information about applying for gender-inclusive housing including an optional confidential process for transgender/genderqueer students is available on the Housing website. This site also provides a list of upperclass undergraduate residences and graduate residences that are gender-inclusive.

If you are uncomfortable with your current housing situation, don’t worry! Stanford Student Housing can meet your needs, and can help you change your housing situation at any point during the year.

Special Interest Housing:

Terra is an unofficial LGBT co-operative house that is owned by the university.

Facilities:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Sports:

Based on the new NCAA rules, transgender student athletes should be granted equal access and opportunities to play college-level sports without any obstacles based on the following guidelines.
Under the policy:
-A transgender male student athlete who has a medical exception for testosterone hormone therapy may compete on a men’s team, but is no longer eligible to compete on a women’s team without changing the team status to a mixed team.
-A transgender female student athlete who has taken medication to suppress testosterone for a year may compete on a women’s team.
-Transgender student athletes who are not undergoing hormone therapy remain eligible to play on teams based on the gender of their birth sex and may socially transition by dressing and using the appropriate pronouns that match their gender identity.
There is a group of students lobbying the athletic department to create a policy about the inclusion of transgender athletes. That said, the University policy does have a non-discrimination clause and it is as of yet unclear how this applies to club sports at Stanford.

Courses and Programs of Study:

Stanford offers many queer-related courses across disciplines – check out queerstudies.stanford.edu for a complete list of past, present, and future courses, as well as a list of professors that specialize in queer studies. There are also transgender-identified professors as well – Dr. Ben Barres in the Medical School and Dr. Joan Roughgarden of Biological Sciences are the most famous.

Fraternities and Sororities:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Safety and Security:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Healthcare

Campus Health Services:

Vaden Health Center is a transgender-friendly medical provider. They are working to provide transgender-friendly care and resources on all different levels and they are open to learning more. The people in charge of Vaden Health Center (Vaden’s Director is Dr. Ira Friedman; Dr. Robyn Tepper is the Medical Director; Dr. Ron Albucher is the Director of CAPS; and Carole Pertofsky is the Director of HPS) are transgender allies who try to support their transgender clients as much as they can. Vaden staff have participated in training, in some cases multiple trainings, on transgender mental health and wellness, and they plan to continue educating themselves as information becomes available.

Vaden Health Center offers transgender-specific health services, such as hormonal therapy, STI testing, and gynecological care. To make an appointment, go to https://vadenpatient.stanford.edu and click on Transgender Health Care.
Additionally, Cardinal Care provides coverage for SRS (also known a Gender Confirmation Surgery, or GCS). HealthNet will provide a case manager who is experienced in trans* care in order to guide a student through the transition process start to finish. HealthNet’s coverage of specific procedures tend to be determined on a case-by-case basis. It's recommended that a student initiate the process with a referral from a Vaden provider.

For more information, please visit the Vaden website, which offers specific information about transgender services: http://vaden.stanford.edu/medical/specialty.html

Local Health Care Providers:

Judy van Maasdam (jvanmaasdam@gmail.com) served as the program coordinator and councilor for the Gender Dysphoria Program in Palo Alto, California working closely with Don Laub, one of the first sex change surgeons, for more than 30 years. She has helped hundreds if not thousands of transgendered folks and has also long been associated with the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association. She is a great resource, still has an office in Palo Alto, and can easily reached by e-mail any time.

There are many amazing resources in the Bay Area as well. There are a wealth of transgender support groups, performing arts groups, advocacy groups, legal resources, among others. To name a few: Transgender Law Center, Trans-Thrive, El/La Para Trans Latinas, Transcendence Gospel Choir, Fresh Meat Productions. The Bay Area is one of the best places in the world in terms of trans community and abundant resources.

Health Insurance:

Cardinal Care provides coverage for SRS (also known a Gender Confirmation Surgery, or GCS). HealthNet will provide a case manager who is experienced in trans* care in order to guide a student through the transition process start to finish. HealthNet’s coverage of specific procedures tend to be determined on a case-by-case basis. It's recommended that a student initiate the process with a referral from a Vaden provider.

For more information, please visit the Vaden website, which offers specific information about transgender services: http://vaden.stanford.edu/medical/specialty.html

Records and Identity Documents

Registrar's Office:

You may request that your preferred name be different from your primary name, which is your legal name of record in Axess. Your preferred name can be changed by visiting the Student Services Center (SSC) with a valid photo ID or by submitting a HelpSU ticket to the SSC. Changing your preferred name via a HelpSU ticket will require confirmation of your identity as directed by a SSC Specialist.

Your preferred name will display on a student's main directory listing, Axess, Coursework, grade and class rosters, unofficial transcripts, academic advisement reports, and as the student’s email display name. However, changing your name on your dining account, housing records, official transcripts, financial aid records, and medical forms requires documentation of a legal name change. As a student at Stanford, you are technically a California Resident, therefore you can legally change your name in California (learn more at the Transgender Law Center).

You may change your preferred name on medical records by making a request to the Vaden medical services front office staff or a Vaden clinician. Your legal name will remain in the Vaden system along with a note about your preferred name.

Transcripts and official academic records do not have gender markers, but they will have your preferred name.

Course Management System:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Student ID Card:

Visit the Student Services Center, located on the 2nd floor of Tressider next to Kinko’s. If you bring a valid ID, you can change your preferred name on your Stanford ID and receive a new card free of charge.

School Email:

You can change the name that's visible without any documentation. This name can be changed as many times as you want.

Employment Records:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Online Profiles:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

On-Campus Resources

Student/Staff Groups:

If this is your first year as an undergratuate at Stanford, you’re invited to join the CASA program. Attend free, weekly lunches offered at the LGBT Community Resources Center (Fire Truck House, 2nd floor) every Wednesday from 12 – 1 PM, and learn about LGBT life at Stanford. The CASA program is a fun way to get to know your LGBTQ and allied classmates. This program is open to students of all classes in the spring, and the CASA mentors typically encourage students who are newly out to attend CASA during all three quarters regardles of whether they are frosh. Also, the LGBT-CRC is always a great place to hang out and meet other LGBTQ and allied members of the Stanford community. Also, join a Queer Voluntary Student Organization (QVSO)! Check out queerguide.stanford.edu for a comprehensive list of QVSOs.

The Trans* Task Force is a group of students committed to making Stanford more accessible to trans* students. To join the mailing list, contact Holly Fetter (hfetter@stanford.edu).

Also, Stanford Students For Queer Liberation, a queer activist collective, makes a concerted effort to be inclusive of trans* and genderqueer students, and plans awareness weeks and direct actions that target transphobia on campus. To get involved, join the mailing list (queer_liberation@lists.stanford.edu).

And the LGBT•CRC has a program called Safe and Open Spaces at Stanford (SOSAS) which brings panels of LGBTQ-identified students to various residences and offices. To get involved, visit lgbt.stanford.edu and contact lgbtsosas@stanford.edu. It’s relatively easy to get your voice heard on campus—if you see an issue, rally your friends, allies, and approach a group like SSQL to help you speak out and fight back.

Resource Center:

The LGBT Community Resources Center is staffed by two professionals as well as six students. It is a wonderful place for attending events, hanging out, and making queer and allied friends. Visit lgbt.stanford.edu for more information.

Academic Departments:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Trainings and Workshops:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Career/Employment Center:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Religious and Spiritual Organizations:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Community Resources

Trans Advocacy and Support Organizations:

The Bay Area is rife with resources for transgender and genderqueer folks! Check out the Transgender Law Center, TRANS:THRIVE, TransGender San Francisco, Brown Boi Project, Fresh Meat Productions, El/La Programa para TransLatinas, and the San Francisco Trans March – just to name a few.

General LGBT Organizations:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Miscellaneous

External Links:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

Other policies:

Nothing has been submitted here yet, click here to add something!

RECENT UPDATES

FEATURED SCHOOL