Yale University’s Nondiscrimination statement, which covers all students and employees, prohibits discrimination based upon gender identity or expression in admission, education and employment. The full statement can be viewed here: yale.edu/nondiscrimination.

The Director of LGBTQ Resources can help students, staff, and faculty navigate social, medical, and administrative challenges of gender congruence or transition.  These consultations and referrals are available by appointment.  For more information, visit Virtual Appointments. 

Students

Yale Health provides a range of gender-affirming care services to all currently enrolled students, including hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgical procedures. See Gender-Affirming Services at the Yale Health website and contact Yale Health Care Management Department or your primary care clinician can provide the most current information. Not sure where to begin? We recommend taking advantage of our consultations and referrals or consulting the student-maintained Trans@Yale Survival Guide.

Click here for a printable resource sheet and more information on services and coverage.  You may also contact the Patient Representative with any concerns you have about the way you are treated at Yale Health.

Staff, Faculty, and Post Docs

Both Yale Health and Aetna include transgender health coverage. Contact your Human Resource Generalist for the most current information. Yale Health members, see Gender-Affirming Services at the Yale Health website. 

Transgender employees who are managerial & professional staff, faculty, postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral fellows, clerical and technical, service and maintenance and security are eligible to receive hormone replacement therapy and gender affirmation surgery. Both Yale Health and Aetna will follow the standard of care for transgender health and gender confirmation surgery as defined by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH): wpath.org.

Magellan Health Services administers Yale’s Counseling & Support Services benefit and offers employees and family members unlimited phone support, as well as a limited number of in-person visits per issue for each family member at no cost. This includes consultations relating to gender identity and transitioning. For more information and to access these services and resources, visit your.yale.edu or call 1-800-327-9240.

Students

For the most up-to-date information, see the Yale University Registrar’s Name Policy and Use site. The following information on Preferred Name Use is copied from that site (06/27).

Yale University recognizes that students may wish to use a preferred first name rather than their legal first name to identify themselves. The University supports students in this choice. Any student may designate a preferred first name regardless of whether they have legally changed their name.

How to Add, Change, or Delete a Preferred First Name

To indicate your preferred first name, login to the Yale Hub, click on the “Personal Data” menu, and select “My Preferred Name.” Your full name and your preferred first name, if you already have a preferred first name on record, will be displayed. You may edit an existing preferred first name, enter a new preferred first name, or delete the existing preferred first name.

For some applications, changes to the preferred first name will display immediately. For others, changes may take longer to appear.

Use of Legal or Preferred First Name

• Preferred First Name: Places where preferred first name (if saved in the hub) will be used include:
  • Online directory
  • Learning management systems
  • Advising systems
  • Yale Hub
  • Degree Audit 
  • Other academic systems internal to the campus
• Legal Name: Places where legal name will be used include:
  • Student accounts and bills
  • Student employment and paychecks
  • Financial aid documents and refund checks
  • Enrollment and degree verification certificates
  • Official transcripts
• Legal Name or Preferred First Name: Places where either preferred first name (if saved in Yale Hub) or legal name can be used are:
  • Yale email address
  • ID Cards

Legal Name Changes

Students currently attending Yale College or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences who have changed their legal name can have their academic record updated by bringing one of the three following categories of documents to the University Registrar’s Office at 246 Church St., 3rd floor:

• Government-issued photo ID with the new name
• Social Security Card with new name and a government-issued photo ID
• Legal name change documentation in English or certified translation and a government issue photo ID

Note: Professional school students who are changing their legal name should contact their school’s registrar.

Diplomas

University policy allows students to indicate a preferred first name different from their legal first name on their diploma. Students should communicate directly with their registrar regarding this change.

NameCoach

NameCoach gives students the ability to record their name in their own voice as they want it spoken. Located under the Personal Data tab in Yale Hub, participation in NameCoach is entirely voluntary and only needs to be done once. After a recording is created, an audible icon will become visible next to a student name in the online directory and in any system, that adopts NameCoach, such as faculty rosters in Canvas. 

Additionally, NameCoach gives students the option to add a phonetic spelling of their name and to display the pronouns they prefer to use.

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Note for Professional Students

The Registrar’s Office of each professional school maintains records for that school’s students and policies and procedures may differ slightly from those described above. Contact your school’s Registrar or the Yale LGBTQ Center with any questions or concerns.

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Faculty, Staff, and Post Docs

Updates to both legal and preferred name can be completed through Workday. Select ‘My Benefits / My Pay and Info’ on the your.yale.edu portal. Changes made through Workday will update records maintained by Human Resources, as well as most vendors. If you use the Yale Shuttle or campus parking, notify Parking and Transit (parking@yale.edu(link sends e-mail) or 203-432-9790) of the updates.

Yale ITS provides instructions on how to update email aliases and maintains detailed an up-to-date overview of preferred names here: Email Addresses at Yale - FAQ.  Further assistance is available from the ITS Help Desk via email@yale.edu 

Once you have updated your legal or preferred name with the University Registrar, visit the ID Center for a new Yale ID. 

Student Housing

Housing in Yale College is gender inclusive, with shared mixed-gender bathrooms in most spaces. Students seeking single gender bathrooms may make this request during the Intent phase of Room Draw. While every effort will be made to meet all requests, placements are not guaranteed. More information can be found at Undergraduate Housing. 

The Yale Graduate Housing office is responsible for providing graduate housing options on and around the Yale campus and manages a limited number of on-campus, Yale owned and operated dormitories and apartments.  For inquiries on housing options, visit Graduate Housing.

All-Gender Restrooms on Campus

Most university buildings have all-gender or single-occupant restrooms, and almost all dormitory restrooms and shower facilities are all-gender. Find one near you with our mobile-friendly Campus All Gender Restroom map.

Payne Whitney Gymnasium

Yale’s primary athletic facilities feature all-gender bathroom and changing facilities on the fourth floor, near the fitness center. The code to unlock these facilities can be easily obtained from the attendant on duty in the fitness center. Additionally, the second floor gendered (“Men’s” and “Women’s”) locker rooms feature completely private showers within private changing stalls.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns not addressed above, or if you have ideas about how to make Yale a more inclusive place!