Originally published by The 19th.
The Common App — the application used by over 900 colleges and universities nationwide — announced revisions Wednesday aimed at creating a more inclusive space for LGBTQ+ people, specifically transgender and nonbinary applicants.
Beginning in August, the Common App will ask for applicants’ “legal sex” instead of “sex” with the intent of “reducing student confusion.” Additionally, the Common App will add the option to identify one or more pronoun sets or add their own; before, applicants could not select their pronouns and had an optional text box to further describe their gender identity.
“What I really hope that it will provide is really an affirmation for students that their background is unique and that they have a space to not only be acknowledged for who they are but also to be able to express themselves,” said Jenny Rickard, president and CEO of the Common App. “We hope that this will eliminate any potential barriers that stand in the way of anyone applying to college and ensure every student has a pathway to economic mobility and success.”
This change comes as the pandemic has exacerbated existing inequalities for LGBTQ+ people. In announcing the changes, the Common App cites data from the Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ+ youth. According to data from 2020, 52 percent of transgender and nonbinary youth seriously considered suicide in the past year, compared to 40 percent of all LGBTQ+ youth respondents.
The Trevor Project discovered that transgender and nonbinary youth “who reported having their pronouns respected by ..
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