Definitions (click the arrow to view)

Legal Name: the name that someone has on their legal documents.

Chosen Name: a different name that someone uses outside of a legal context.

Pronoun: a word used instead of someone's name when referring to them. More information on pronouns will be found in a later page in this module.

University Policy 1143, the Chosen Name and Pronouns Policy, allows for George Mason faculty, staff, and students to designate their chosen name and/or pronouns. The person's chosen name will be used wherever legal names aren't required by University policy or by law. This policy benefits many individuals, not only LGBTQ+ individuals! People can designate a nickname, their middle name, or any other type of chosen name to show up in systems like course rosters, PatriotWeb, Canvas, directories, and more.

Even if you have access to a person's legal name, it is still inappropriate to refer to them by it if you also have access to their chosen name. For example, if you work in Student Accounts, you might have access to someone's legal name for financial aid purposes. To be an effective ally, it is still respectful and appropriate to refer to them by their chosen name in email or when speaking with them.

The Registrar's office has tutorials on how to update your chosen name and pronouns, linked below:

You can also update your display name in the Microsoft suite by going through ITS:

Start at the ITS website
Click “Change Display Name” and sign in with your GMU net ID and password, then fill out the form
They don’t really scrutinize your reasons, so write whatever you want (i.e. “____ is the name I use).