University of Alabama Allows “Chosen Names” on Mobile Student IDs
Mobile app adopts policy that has been in effect for physical IDs for years.
The University of Alabama now allows students, faculty and staff to use a chosen name on its mobile student ID app. While students, faculty and staff have been able to use preferred names on physical IDs for several years, UA’s Action Card Office announced the change to the mobile version on Twitter in May.
UA’s assistant director of communications, Shane Dorrill, said the school has a number of reasons for allowing students to use their preferred name on IDs.
“For example, one may use a shortened version of their full name, prefer their middle name or nickname, choose a name easier to pronounce, or go by another name altogether,” he told Metro Weekly in an email.
Dorrill did not mention allowing transgender students to use their chosen name when asked about the motivations behind the change. The ACT Card website, however, notes that the change may be useful as “a reflection of gender identity.”
UA Safe Zone, a campus resource center for LGBTQIA+ people and allies, helped propel the policy shift. The change makes “a huge difference,” UA Safe Zone co-founder Eli Strong told AL.com.
“Having something that accurately reflects who you are as a person and how you want to make sure that the world sees and respects you is obviously monumentally important, right?” Strong said.
Other universities throughout the country, like Columbia University and Yale University, have related policies permitting students to use chosen names on school ID cards.
However, IDs with a chosen name aren’t accepted under all circumstances. The ACT Card website says UA students may be required to use their legal names on campus, like for financial aid documents, payrolls, official transcripts, diplomas, and federal immigration documents. Off campus, school IDs can be used to vote — but only when bearing one’s legal name.
For situations that accept mobile ID but require legal names, Dorrill said the new UA mobile system allows for an easy swap.
“The mobile card allows individuals to change their preferred or chosen name back to their legal name at any time, including whenever it is needed for official proof of identification,” Dorrill said.
Access to gender-affirming IDs — including documents with a person’s chosen name — can prove beneficial for transgender people, both in terms of mental health and personal safety. In 2020, The Lancet Public Health published research showing correlations between gender-concordant IDs and better mental health for trans adults.
At the time, lead researcher Ayden Scheim told Drexel News, “Having accurate identification should be a fundamental human right. While many of us take it for granted, obtaining IDs can be very difficult for trans people.”
Indeed, regardless of The University of Alabama’s changes, securing a legal name change in Alabama remains a challenge.
According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, adults wishing to legally change their names must complete a background check, fill out a petition, gather documents proving their identity, file for and obtain a court order approving the change, and consent to having the court publish an announcement of their intent to change their name in a local newspaper.
UA’s policy update also comes as Alabama cracks down on trans rights. In April, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law making it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for doctors to prescribe gender-affirming care for trans youth.
A federal court has issued an order blocking the law from being enforced, and the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has tentatively set arguments for November.
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