In November 2020, Student Association of George Brown College (SAGBC) representative Robby Thompson spoke up about the need for online learning systems to display students’ correct names and pronouns. In December 2020, George Brown College (GBC) said they will make the necessary changes by the end of February. But now, three months later, GBC has only followed through on half the goal.

As of March 1, GBC students will be able to add their ‘preferred name’ which will then appear across all related online platforms such as Stu-View, Blackboard, and email. They can do so by going to the personal information tab on Stu-View, clicking ‘preferred first name,’ and then enter their name. But the change only meets half the goal student advocates like Thompson negotiated. Their advocacy also called for students to be able to change and display their pronouns, which the GBC announcement says is not currently possible.

“I tried my best in all campaigns to let them know that having name changes and having pronouns available are priorities and it’s not just a one-off deal. It’s a package deal and you need one and the other for a student to truly feel safe in class,” says Thompson.

“I think that the timing for this was not great. There should have been a short-term solution in place, and they should have been more receptive to student feedback. But I am happy it’s finally happening.”

There are also concerns about the terminology used in the change on the GBC website. ‘Preferred names’ and ‘preferred pronouns’ are typical microaggressions used against the trans community to communicate that their names and pronouns are a choice rather than a fact. Thompson believes this was an oversight that could have been solved through more consultation with himself or other students.

“I really think GBC just wasn’t aware of using the term preferred and what effect it would have. If there was more communication, I really think that this transition could have been better with using the phrasing students wanted. Because I don’t think they’re doing it out of malice. George Brown wouldn’t use that terminology on purpose. It’s just a sense of the officials who oversaw this change being unaware,” says Thompson.

With these changes announced, Thompson says he is currently reaching out to those in charge of system implementation to immediately address the exclusion of pronouns and have them added prior to the next board meeting. Further, at the next SAGBC board meeting, he is hoping to raise the issue of the ‘preferred’ terminology and how the college did not have an open communication line throughout the process.

“I hope that George Brown can be a role model and an inspiration for some other colleges by doing this,” says Thompson. “There is still more work to be done however.”