By Emily Rappleye
Interview with Gabe Javier conducted by Tim Hadick
A new policy at UW-Madison is helping gender nonconforming students like Jonah Welch be themselves and be recognized by name. The Preferred Name Policy allows students to identify themselves by a name other than their legal name in the UW System. For international students using an English name and some LGBT students, this policy can mean the difference between recognition and exclusion from the Wisconsin community through misidentification.
“I think we will continue to see the impact of this policy; I think there is unforeseen impact,” says Gabe Javier, the associate dean of students and director of the LGBT Campus Center at UW-Madison.
For more information about the Preferred Name Policy, including how to set your own preferred name, visit the UW Registrar’s webpage: registrar.wisc.edu/preferred_name.htm
