Even some student organizations that do not explicitly focus on BGLTQ issues have started asking for PGPs during group introductions.

“I wanted to make Fuerza a really inclusive space,” said Fuerza Latina Vice President Joshua Hernandez ’14, who was instrumental in implementing PGPs at the group’s meetings. “It went well and people were very receptive. They found it cool.”

And the administration is adapting, too. Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman ’67 said that the icebreaker on a recent retreat for the Office of Student Life included everyone saying their PGP.

“We’ll take the lead from the students,” Dingman said. “If this is something that matters to them, we will learn from them.”

Just two weeks ago, the Office of Student Life led a discussion on PGPs with BGLTQ Director of Student Life Van Bailey.

“Van is amazing, and it’s great that we have a director who is sensitive not just to LGB issues but also to trans issues,” said Ariel C. Churchill ’15, a co-chair of the Trans Task Force and an intern at the BGLTQ office.

Bailey declined to comment for this article.

Jake recently changed his name and gender with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He said that the registrar’s office was receptive to changing this information in Harvard directories.

“They were open to me changing my gender and my name, no questions asked. I just had to give them a copy of my legal paperwork,” he said.

Harvard also allows students to fill in a preferred name and gender using the online registration tool, and gender-neutral housing became an option several years ago. Incoming freshmen can now indicate their gender identity in time for it to be taken into account for housing purposes.

Additionally, about 100 non-gendered bathrooms are available, spread out across campus. Amid all this progress for transgender students, pronouns, they say, remains an area where the discourse is lagging.

“People didn’t come knocking on my door asking me, ‘Hi, what are your PGPs now?’” Jake said. “I had to actively seek it out.”

TRANS 101

After the incident at the UC meeting, Bicknell emailed Benavides to ask what the Council could do to learn more about gender. Benavides said that she also received emails from several representatives who apologized for their behavior.

“What happened wasn’t out of malice,” Bicknell said. “I do believe it came out of just not knowing.”

Benavides said that it showed just how much work is left to be done.

Together with the Trans Task Force and the Women’s Center, the BGLTQ Office of Student Life is planning to hold more “Gender 101” and “Trans 101” workshops so that students, faculty, and staff members can become better informed about PGPs and the trans community at Harvard.

“We’re really good at having the gay conversation, but the trans conversation is something we stumble over a little bit more,” Jamie said. “Whatever we can do to promote those conversations is really good.”

—Staff writer Michelle Denise L. Ferreol can be reached at mferreol@college.harvard.edu.