The Council of State authorizes transgender students to choose and wear their usual first name at school

This Wednesday, September 28, the Council of State officially authorized transgender children to bear the name they wish at school.

In September 2021, a circular from the Ministry of National Education was sent to all schools in France. This circular addressed the subject of students transgender and asked the educational staff to respect the choice of the child as to the first name he wanted to bear.

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However, a request was sent to the Council of State to cancel this circular. This appeal was based on a law of 1794 affirming 'that no citizen may bear a surname or first name other than those expressed on his birth certificate' .

This Wednesday, September 28, the Council of State finally rejected this request, thus allowing the children transgender people to choose the first name they want to wear at school, with parental consent. The Council of State affirmed that as this measure is exclusively taken in schools, it remains in accordance with the law.

Transgender children can choose their first name

If it is possible to change the first name of your child in the civil status, this request is generally very long. During this time, the child may feel bad about himself and his body if we continue to call him with a first name that does not correspond to the gender with which he identifies.

'Failure to take into account the trans identity of a student can indeed quickly cause the development of a school phobia and lead to a dropout situation' , said the Ministry of National Education.

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Thanks to the validation of the Council of State, transgender students will therefore be able to choose a first name different from the one registered on their marital status, so that they feel better at school. school .

'In the most frequent case, when the marital status has not been changed, if the request is made with the agreement of both parents of the minor pupil, it is then a matter of ensuring that the first name chosen is used by all members of the educational community. Respect for a student's gender identity should not be left to the discretion of adults and other students. , can we read in the circular of the Ministry of National Education.

Improving the mental health of transgender children

From now on, the educational staff will therefore have to call the transgender child with the first name that the latter has chosen, but also modify all the places in which the first name of the child's civil status appears. Thus, the student will be able to have his usual first name on his canteen card, on the call lists and on the digital spaces. However, his civil status first name will always be used in the grading systems linked to national diplomas, such as the continuous assessment for the baccalaureate.

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The National Education circular also asks educational staff to respect the clothing choices of students. Measures must be put in place in schools to combat discrimination and harassment related to a child's gender.

According to an LGBT health survey published in 2020, 72% of transgender and non-binary youth rated their school experience as “bad” and “very bad.” By approving this circular, the Council of State therefore aims to improve the mental health of transgender children and to make them feel better about themselves at school.