Guidance for Collecting and Reporting Demographic Data on Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Lived Name

This document accompanies the University of Vermont University Operating Procedure on Lived Name and Gender by providing guidance and guidelines for offices/units responsible for the collection and reporting of demographic data on the gender identity of all members of the UVM community. The document also provides guidance on the collection and use of lived names. 

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1. Many UVM IT Resources are interconnected. For example, the UVM Directory is connected to Identity Management and Learning Management systems. It is the expectation that all primary or source IT Resources such as payroll/personnel systems, student information systems, donor or alumni databases and electronic medical record management systems follow the suggested language for expanded options whenever possible and, at a minimum, provide male, female, and nonbinary options. 
2. Whenever technically feasible, these IT Resources must provide the option for individuals to indicate a lived name (also known as preferred name) in addition to a legal name. 
3. Primary IT Resources should retain name-change histories should corrective actions need to be taken. 
4. Whenever gender identity and lived name are collected in the primary IT Resource and there is a legitimate business need to have this in a downstream IT Resource, it should be pushed there. Examples of this include class rosters, housing assignments, name badges (unless there is a legal or statutory requirement that legal name be used), student or employee information portals, invoices, learning management systems, and so forth. As technology is updated and as systems evolve to allow the collection of gender identity and lived name, downstream IT Resources should also be updated/upgraded to accept the gender identity and lived name data fields from the primary IT Resource where appropriate.

1. In accordance with the UOP on Lived Name and Gender, the University must provide multiple, equally recognized gender options on university-issued documents and IT systems, following the suggested language (below) for expanded options whenever possible and, at a minimum, male, female, and nonbinary. The recommended question language is:

   Option A: How do you describe your gender identity? (optional; choose all that apply):
   Agender Cisgender Female/woman Genderqueer/gender fluid Indigenous or other cultural gender identity (e.g., two-spirit) Intersex Male/man Nonbinary Transgender Not listed above (please specify: ________) Prefer not to say

   Systems that cannot accommodate option A must contact Enterprise Application Services (EAS) to discuss an exception. This is done by emailing the UVM CIO mailbox. 

2. Systems and forms should avoid using terminology such as “sex assigned at birth,” “sex as listed on birth certificate,” or “other.” 
3. Data entry systems should provide definitions of gender identity in a pop-up box or glossary. 
4. Representatives from Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (OIRA), the Prism Center and ETS will review this list for updates annually. For reporting purposes, “unknown” is the default for blank/no value.

At this time, some of the university’s health insurers only accept the options of male, female or unknown. 

In sharing the gender identity of individuals with health and other insurers, UVM should use the following methodology:

▪ Updates to gender identity information, including “unknown,” can often be entered into providers’ electronic health records directly by patients through a patient portal.

Non-university entities such as the federal government Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) or Affirmative Action Reports may require aggregate university-level reports on the gender of UVM students and employees in a binary format (i.e., as either male or female), or that nonbinary gender be reported as “unknown.” In these situations, the following methodology should be used when completing gender reports in aggregate: 

For aggregate reporting to IPEDS (students and employees) or any other government agency reporting not otherwise listed in this guidance**, use the following:

For Federal Affirmative Action plan reporting (applicants and employees), use the following:

* In the case of an audit, the University may submit the underlying data of the “Unknown” category to auditors upon request. ** As federal reporting requirements evolve, every attempt will be made to update this guidance to incorporate current requirements.

Gender identity is considered “sensitive data” under many privacy regulations. Therefore, safeguards need to be in place to protect and manage gender identity information; this includes controlling how the gender data is displayed in hardcopies and digital forms and properly training staff who have access to the data about their role as data stewards of UVM privacy policies.

Sexual orientation information is considered “sensitive data” under many privacy regulations and, therefore, safeguards must be in place to protect and manage sexual orientation information. 

1. While the collection of sexual orientation information is not required, this information may be collected for legitimate business reasons. These reasons may include the need to collect more comprehensive statistics on aggregate student outcomes or to better understand the use of support resources and services for LGBTQ+ students and employees. 
2. When collecting information about sexual orientation, forms and primary IT Resources should use the following question-and-answer format: 

3. Data entry systems should provide definitions of sexual orientation in a pop-up box or glossary. See definitions below. 
4. Representatives from OIRA, the Prism Center and ETS will review this list for updates annually. For reporting purposes, “unknown” is the default for blank/no value.

• Updating Personal Information: In systems that prompt users to update their information at regular intervals (e.g., student registration systems), if technologically feasible, also prompt individuals to review pronouns, lived name, gender identity, and sexual orientation data along with other directory information. 
• Communication and Training — The Registrar’s Office will communicate proactively and periodically with internal stakeholders (students, employees and affiliates) and external stakeholders (alumni, prospective students, etc.) about the careful use and disclosure of lived names; the process for changing one’s name and gender for university business and university-issued documents; the potential challenges they may face outside the university and the State of Vermont if they change their name and gender in the university system; and the resources and trainings available for creating a culture inclusive of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. 
• Suggested Explanation for Demographics Section: In systems that collect gender identity and sexual orientation data, an explanation regarding the use of that information should be provided. For example, describe what the information is used for, who has access to the information, how responses are kept private and secure, and how responses can be changed in the future.

Adapted from a range of sources including the University of California San Francisco and Planned Parenthood.

Agender: a person who identifies as genderless, without a gender identity or gender neutral. 

Aromantic: Describes a person who is not interested in romantic relationships. 

Asexual: Describes a person who is not drawn to people sexually and does not desire to act upon attraction to others in a sexual way. 

Bisexual: Describes a person whose sexual and/or affectional orientation can be toward people of their own or other genders. 

Cisgender: Denotes or relates to a person whose gender identity corresponds with their assigned sex. 

Gay: Describes a person whose sexual and/or affectional orientation is toward people of one’s own gender. Also, describes a man whose sexual and/or affectional orientation is toward men. 

Gender/Gender identity: The gender(s)/gender identity, if any, a person identifies with. An individual's gender is their gender identity, which can be the same or different from their legal gender. 

Genderqueer/genderfluid: A person whose gender identity and/or gender expression falls outside of dominant social norms, is not fixed, and is capable of changing over time. 

Heterosexual or straight: Describes a person whose sexual and/or affectional orientation is toward people of another gender. 

Indigenous or other cultural gender identity: An umbrella category for various terms used to describe gender that are culturally specific (e.g., two-spirit). 

Intersex: Intersex is an umbrella term that describes a wide range of natural bodily variations that do not fit typical definitions of male and female bodies. These variations may include, but are not limited to, unique chromosome compositions, hormone concentrations, and external and/or internal biology. 

Legal gender: A gender appearing on a government-issued document. 

Legal name: A name appearing on a government-issued document. 

Lesbian: A women whose sexual and/or affectional orientation is toward women. 

LGBTQ: An acronym that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning of one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Sometimes the acronym is.expanded to LGBTQIA+ to include intersex, as well as asexual, agender and aromantic people, plus other associated communities. 

Lived name: A self-chosen or personal and/or preferred professional name used instead of a legal name. 

Nonbinary gender: A gender identity, or umbrella term, for genders other than woman or man, including genders with aspects of both or neither. 

Pansexual: Describes a person whose sexual and/or affectional orientation is toward people of any gender, not just men and women. 

Preferred name: See “Lived Name.” The term “preferred name” still appears in campus systems where the field name cannot be changed to “lived name.” Use of the term “lived name” is encouraged to avoid the perception that respecting someone’s lived name is optional. 

Queer: a broad term describing sexual and gender identities other than straight and cisgender. Queer is sometimes used to express that sexuality and gender can be complicated, change over time, and might not fit neatly into existing categories. Queer is sometimes used as an umbrella term, similar to the acronym LGBTQ. 

Sexual orientation: describes a person’s physical, romantic, or emotional attraction to other people. 

Transgender/Trans: An umbrella term describing a person whose gender differs from their sex assigned at birth. A trans person may take social, medical and/or legal steps to transition. A person may identify as trans before/without taking any steps to transition, as gender is self determined and not based on social, medical, or legal recognition.

For questions, please contact: 

Reporting: Office of Institutional Research and Assessment oir@uvm.edu 

Software Applications and Technical Support: UVMCIO@uvm.edu 

General Questions: Prism Center prism@uvm.edu