This is an opinion article and does not necessarily reflect the views of The Tulane Hullabaloo.

On Monday, Tulane’s Office of the Registrar sent out a mass email explaining a new policy allowing students to use preferred pronouns and names on their Splash Cards and on faculty rosters. That Tulane made this change is a crucial point in improving rights for transgender and non-binary students in our community.

In the past, Tulane’s transgender community has spoken out against the marginalization of students, especially in classrooms, where they are misgendered and not called by their preferred names by peers and professors. Shifting the policy surrounding names and pronouns on rosters and student identification cards will only help to combat this behavior.

Pronoun and name changes will be effective on Splash Cards as quickly as possible. The policy will come into effect on class rosters this spring. This information will also be passed on to Campus Health providers.

It’s time for inclusivity and respect to be innately available to all students. Since the LBC opened gender-neutral bathrooms and the Department of Housing and Residence Life’s implementation of gender-inclusive housing, this is the most significant institutional change to benefit transgender and non-binary students.

Hopefully, this policy will keep the momentum going. While permitting identification based on preferred pronouns and names is an important step, we still have a long way to go to be a fully trans-inclusive campus. As we celebrate this victory for our school’s diversity, it is important to keep in mind that this is not the end.

Dr. Red Tremmel, director of the Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity, is offering three workshops entitled “Transgender 101” to help students, faculty and staff get educated about trans issues and acclimate themselves to this change. These workshops will be offered Oct. 28, Nov. 9 and Dec. 7.

Tulane has taken the opportunity to truly shift the climate surrounding transgender issues on campus. All humans should respect preferred names and pronouns as a basic right, a part of someone’s most inherent identity. Tulane is on the right track to showing that respect and promoting a respectful atmosphere for the transgender community.

Sarah is a freshman at Newcomb-Tulane College. She can be reached at [email protected].