When transgender students fill out college applications, they often run into trouble right out of the box — or, rather, in the box that students typically must check to indicate their biological gender. The gender identities of some people may not conform to a binary of biological male or female, much less align with what’s listed on their birth certificates. Colleges also expect potential students to enroll under the legal name that matches their government-issued ID and school records, not the name they may have chosen to represent their gender identity. As more openly transgender students apply to colleges, many of those students and institutions are wrestling with inflexible data systems and entrenched attitudes in an effort to make the admissions and enrollment processes more trans-friendly.

October 18, 2015 ・ From Chronicle of Higher Education