A controversial gender expression and identity policy that said that a refusal to address a person by their preferred pronouns or name constituted “unlawful discrimination or harassment” has dropped the claim following an update by South East Technological University (SETU).
The updated policy instead says that SETU’s students and staff are expected to avoid “unacceptable behaviours”, such as “repeatedly referring to a person by using names or pronouns with which they do not identify, in circumstances where the person has communicated their preference”.
SETU claims the policy is necessary because a “rich part” of SETU’s diversity is “embodied by student and staff members who express their gender identity in different ways”.
“To ensure good practice in our collective approach to embracing diversity through gender expression and identity, this policy provides advice and guidance for the support of Non-Binary, Intersex and Transgender…students and staff members of the SETU community,” the policy reads.
Gender expression and identity policies are also usually necessary to secure advanced Athena Swan Charter accreditation, which as a result of Higher Education Authority policies is necessary for universities to qualify for State research funding.
Controversy erupted last October following the policy’s release when lecturer in world religions at SETU, Colette Colfer, told the university that she would refuse to comply because of the now-deleted statement that to refuse to use preferred pronouns or names constituted unlawful discrimination or harassment.
Ms Colfer was reported as saying at the time that she took no personal issue with using someone’s preferred pronouns or name, but that she disagreed with the compulsory nature of the policy.
Following the release of the initial policy, SETU said that it was intended to create an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere for all staff and students, and that the policy was drafted with regard to “all applicable laws”.
While SETU has revised its policy to remove the reference to unlawful discrimination and harassment, the gender expression and identity policies of University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland all continue to state that to refuse to address a person by their pronouns constitutes “unlawful discrimination”.