UC Davis student blows whistle on school policy that says misgendering is harassment   

A University of California, Davis student has blown the whistle on a school policy that forces students to use their peers’ transgender pronouns or face punishment for “harassment.”  

Rebeka Zeljko, a junior studying political science at UC Davis, revealed the university’s harassment training pushed “radical gender ideology,” including the catchphrase “trans women are women.”  

“[People may identify as] nonbinary, agender, genderqueer, gender fluid, Two-Spirit, bigender, pangender, gender nonconforming, gender variant, etc,” the training continued. “[Students and staff are to] use language and support policies and practices that affirm all persons’ ability to live, work, and socialize as their whole selves.”  

The college’s Gender Recognition and Lived Name policy says not using a transgender person’s chosen pronouns or name is a form of harassment under Title IX. In 2021, the Biden administration redefined Title IX to include sexual orientation and gender identity, not just biological sex. 

Zeljko obtained an email from UC Davis’ Title IX office that reads:  

“Accidental misuse of a transgender employee’s preferred name and pronouns does not violate [Title IX, but] intentionally and repeatedly using the wrong name and pronouns to refer to a transgender employee could contribute to an unlawful hostile work environment.”  

The school’s sexual harassment policy, which applies to student and staff, also prohibits hostility based on “gender identity [and] gender expression.”  

So, while it claims to support free speech, UC Davis’ policies have a decided chilling effect on its students and staff who disagree with transgender ideology.  

“The UC Davis Title IX office has insinuated that intentionally calling someone by his or her correct biological pronouns is punishable,” Zeljko wrote. “Radical gender ideology is increasingly permeating institutions of higher education, largely through Title IX offices and university bureaucrats.  

“The students who disagree, not out of malice but out of deeply held beliefs, seem to be the only class left unprotected by Title IX.”