Recent uni email - removing titles from ID cards

[Candolim97]

“I want to inform you that all (removed my uni’s name) Student ID cards issued from September won't have the Mr/Miss/Mrs/Ms title printed on them. Removing this personal information fits with the new data protection regulations (GDPR), and most importantly, it protects the trans community from being exposed should they not want to.”

I've mentioned it before, but in a book I was just reading, the title is just M. for everyone (and A. for androids)

M. Egg for example (makes me think of the 1st Ladies Detective agency - isn't it Mme and Ra in Botswana or something similar?).

I think that would work.

@Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar
So "Tom smith" (born male) transitions and gets everyone to call them "Tessa Smith".
Then gets a letter addressed to "Mr Smith", and everyone realises she isn't actually female. I think this is generall yreferred to as "outing" someone who is trans.
Although in reality of course it's usually completely obvious anyway

"Mx" is generally touted as a gender-neutral title, so I don't know why they haven't just added that to the list tbh

About time as I have always hated using a title.

I think Steve Shirley is an interesting case.
In documents, they were accepted as a programmer in the 60's and 70's under that name
now that she is Dame Steve Shirley its all pretty obvious !

It is a bad case of virtue signalling. "Most importantly".

Why they think that is worthy of an email is beyond me. If they just dropped it, nobody would have noticed.

Thanks, Sad. But wouldn't Tom insist on being called Ms as well as Tessa, if Tom insists they are actually a woman?

I think the worst thing is saying it fits with GDPR which I think is a load of bollocks. If it is true does this mean that companies such as my bank will have to stop sending me letters to Mrs Penguin because they’re releasing personal information to my postal worker?

Surely if you're trans you actively WANT the title normally used for the opposite sex I also thought the title Mx was used where someone doesn't identify, or wish to share their identity?

@Iamagreyhoundhearmeroar Probably yes, but they might have forgotten to update one, or the systems might just record sex and then assign titles automatically or something!
Or it might just be a "mistake", I got an invoice from the plumber saying "Mrs"... I made them change it before I paid :)

This will be of help maybe for intersex or non-binary people, not trans people. A trans woman would no doubt want Miss or Ms on their ID. I think the trans angle is a non-issue here. Getting rid of titles is great for feminists, full stop. Or if you want to retain titles, stop freaking distinguishing between married and unmarried women. It’s nobody’s business.

Am glad to see it go. My ID card just has first name, surname and a photo. Why did they need any more anyway?

Peeved that they're using GDPR as an excuse, and that it's somehow important because trans.

I wonder how long before this applies to everyone at the University and nobody will be Mr / Miss / Mrs / Ms / Dr. That will go down well with the academics.

They can do the American thing and put PhD etc after their name.

I've never heard of Mx. Not in common usage?

GDPR has nothing to do with it. Your title is not personal information, you cannot be identified by "Ms".

It's an excuse to pander to the radical activists who are obsessed with "passing", being used by an organisation that doesn't understand data protection laws but think they sound sufficiently impressive to frighten people into not objecting.

My ID card just has first name, surname and a photo. Why did they need any more anyway?

Are we talking about student IDs? Why on earth would an undergraduate ID have any title on it? I'd bet my house on my one in 1977- 81 having nothing.

If we are talking about staff do academics really need to have Dr, Prof , whatever on an ID card? Everyone will know what their status is.

M. Egg for example (makes me think of the 1st Ladies Detective agency - isn't it Mme and Ra in Botswana or something similar?)

Mma (not Mme) and Rra is basically madam/Mrs and sir/Mr.

When they did this at work, they just said they were issuing new cards, and we had to collect them by X date.

New card had new company logo and my photo and EMMA Bearhug on it (EMMA in caps because it's the name I'm known by.) About a year later, I got yet another new card with the company logo and name removed, in case anyone found a lost card and tried to gain access to the office.

So if I were the uni, I would just update all cards and remove titles and be done with it. Most people probably wouldn't notice it no longer showed their title.

If we are talking about staff do academics really need to have Dr, Prof , whatever on an ID card? Everyone will know what their status is

Oh, I'd take a bet that women lecturers and post-docs still get mistaken for admin staff often enough. Which is a PITA all round because it's usually Ms/Mrs/Miss Secretary who knows what the heck is going on and runs the place.

earned titles - Prof, Doctor, Cllr are absolutely fine

Feminists earned me my Ms and I use it with pride and gratitude.

Right outcome. Disappointing reasoning.