Skip to main content

Resources for Trans Students

  • MSU Policies

    MSU Chosen Name and Pronoun Policy

    MSU ISPM Restroom policy

    MSU Anti-Discrimination Policy

  • Updating your name, gender marker, and pronouns at MSU

    Changing your chosen name, honorific, and pronouns

    You may establish or update your chosen name in the MSU MySpartanIdentity Portal, a self-service portal that allows all members of the MSU community to manage their chosen identity information in compliance with the University's policies. The information you provide here will be used throughout MSU systems where appropriate, legally admissible and allowed by policy.

    More information on the use of chosen names, honorifics, and pronouns can be found on the MySpartanIdentity FAQ.

    If you are a student employee at MSU, your chosen name must also be changed through Human Resources at (517) 353-4434.

    Changing your gender marker

    To change your gender marker at MSU, contact the Office of the Registrar through Spartan One Stop. No legal documentation is required for gender marker changes at MSU

    Chosen names on MSU ID cards

    New students who submit a chosen name on their application for admission will receive an ID card at the Academic Orientation Program with their chosen name.

    Students who have already been issued an MSU ID Card may request a card through the ID Office for a fee of $20. Students needing financial support to pay this fee should make a request for aid through the Unconditional Love Fund.  Requests should be made no less than one business day after updating the chosen name in MySpartanIdentity. The chosen name will be printed in the place of the legal first name on the front of the card.

    The legal first and last name will be printed on the back of the card.

    Names on MSU diplomas

    Students indicate their diploma name on the Michigan State University Application for Graduation. The student name listed on a diploma or certificate must match the legal name as it is recorded on the student’s official university record, with the following exceptions:

    • option of first name or initial
    • option of middle name or initial
    • inclusion of former or maiden name(s)
    • inclusion of proper capitalization and accentuation of name.

    After graduating, if you have legally changed your name, you can change your legal name in the MSU System and order a new diploma with the correct name.

    After a legal name and/or gender marker change

    If you have legally changed your name and want to update it throughout all university records, contact the Office of the Registrar through Spartan One Stop, who can guide students and employees through the required documents and processes.

    No legal documentation is required for gender marker changes at MSU

     

     

     

  • Legal name and gender marker changes

    For current information on legal name and gender marker changes, please visit Advocates for Trans Equality’s ID Documents Center.

    Youth and adults living in Ingham County can apply for financial and logistical support in their name and gender marker change process with Gender Affirmation Project, a joint program of Trans-ilience and Salus Center.

  • Healthcare and Transition Resources

    Gender-Affirming Healthcare Services on Campus

    MSU Campus Health Services at Olin Health Center offers gender-affirming healthcare for students. Please visit their Transgender Health page for more information.

    MSU Counseling and Psychological Services offers gender-affirming mental health care for students, including both individual and group counseling. Learn more about CAPS and schedule your first appointment on the CAPS website.

    Transition Resources

    MSU Campus Health Services at Olin Health Center offers gender-affirming healthcare, including hormone replacement therapy services, for students. Please visit their Transgender Health page for more information.

    Both the Gender and Sexuality Campus Center and the transcend student caucus offer free gender-affirming garments. Visit the GSCC during our open hours to browse our selection of binders, pocket bras, breastforms, tucking kits, trans tape, and packers. You can also follow transcend on Instagram @transactionmsu and join their Discord Server to get updates on open office hours for their gender-affirming garments and clothing closet.

    Financial support for gender transition can be requested from:

    Students seeking guidance related to local resources for transition care are encouraged to schedule an appointment with our Coordinators Em Wolfe or Morgan Doherty, or our Assistant Director Haley Strassburger.

  • Housing

    Traditional Gendered Housing

    Each residence hall has its own system for gendered room designations: some are divided between men’s and women’s floors or wings; other halls are entirely one gender. All of these designations are dependent on the gender marker on file in the Registrar’s Office, which can be changed without legal documentation.

    Gender-Inclusive Housing

    Gender-Inclusive Housing means that, in select spaces, students from all gender identities and expressions may choose to live together. MSU has Gender-Inclusive Housing floors in several suite-style and community style halls across campus. Students will be able to indicate they want to live in a Gender Inclusive Housing space when going through the housing selection or assignment process.

    Gender-Inclusive Housing means that you can choose a roommate of any gender or be placed with a roommate of any gender. Resident Assistants on these floors receive additional training for supporting gender expansive communities. However, Gender-Inclusive Housing does not include additional programming or community-based engagement outside the typical Resident Assistant programming.

    Housing assignments for students are guided by the following values:

    • Respect for an affirmation of the student’s gender identity and/or expression.
    • Prioritized attention to the student’s physical safety and emotional health.
    • Opportunity for success at MSU by finding the best match between the student’s needs and the options available.

    Learn more about Gender-Inclusive Housing on the Live On website.

    T-REx (Transgender Residential and Educational Experience)

    The Transgender Residential and Educational Experience is a living learning community (LLC) rooted in LGBT+ and gender studies which centers the experiences, needs, perspectives, and joy of queer, transgender, and gender non-conforming communities, while creating experiences that foster healing, community building, and intercultural exploration. This community provides academic courses, additional resources, and weekly programming using a curriculum that focuses on developing the whole student while highlighting their LGBT+ experiences.  

    Learn more about T-Rex here.

     

  • Facilities

    Restrooms

    According to MSU’s Institutional Space Planning and Management, “students, employees, and visitors at Michigan State University may use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.”

    Below is a map of the all gender, accessible restrooms on campus, maintained by Institutional Space Planning and Management.  Clicking on a marked restroom will provide more information about the restroom(s) and location(s).

    Athletics

    Intermural Sports

    Students at MSU have the opportunity to be involved in intramural sports through our Recreational Sports and Fitness Services department.  Intramural sports are bound by the same rules governing all student organizations, meaning they cannot discriminate on the basis of “age, color, gender, disability status, height, marital status, national origin, political persuasion, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, or weight.”  For additional information about IM Sports, please see: https://recsports.msu.edu/im-sports.

    Recreational Sports and Fitness Services Transgender Policy

    Individuals who identify male or female will be eligible for the following leagues:

    Leagues of Competition

    Identifies as a Male

    Identifies as a Female

    CoRec Leagues

    Eligible Male participant

    Eligible Female participant

    Men's Leagues

    Eligible Male participant

    Not eligible

    Women's Leagues

    Not eligible

    Eligible Female participant

     

    Teams with players who identify as a transgender man or transgender woman are responsible for ensuring their players comply with all Player Eligibility Guidelines.

    MSU Rec Sports expects participation to be based on one’s "self-identified gender" and that it is done in good faith and is consistent with a player’s expressed gender identity.

    • A participant’s gender identity will be applied when there are gender specific rules or player ratio requirements for co-rec divisions.
      • Transgender individuals may play on the team that best matches their gender identity.
      • Player eligibility will be based on the gender identified on the official team roster.
      • MSU Rec Sports recognizes that, for many, coming to know one’s gender identity is not something that happens in an instant; it is a complex process that can occur over an extended period of time. Transgender participants are encouraged to communicate their gender identity with the Department. Should the player not feel comfortable working with the Department, the individual can contact the The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center.

     If there is ever an issue with participation, please contact the The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center or Angela Michael in Rec Sports: alm@msu.edu.

     

    Rec Sports Facilities

    Student Recreation and Wellness Center (SRWC) has a number of single use restrooms that include showers available for users of any gender.

    The Student Recreation and Wellness Center has a number of single-user restrooms that include showers, available for users of any gender.

    IM Circle

    IM Circle has single-user changing rooms available for users of any gender. While the changing rooms are wheelchair accessible, the single-user shower facilities are not. Wheelchairs users should use the gendered facility that they feel most comfortable using. Users with limited mobility who wish to use the women's locker rooms may receive assistance from the front desk.

    IM West

    IM West is only open for the pool through November, after which the building will be closed permanently.  

    IM West has a gender-inclusive locker room available from the pool deck.  The only current access to IM West is through the south side of the building.  When the pool is open, the middle doors will be unlocked until the new Student Recreation and Wellness pool opens at the end of November, 2026.  

    IM East

    IM East does not have gender inclusive facilities.

    Demonstration Hall

    Demonstration Hall has two gender inclusive restrooms located on the east side of the arena. There are no locker rooms in this facility.

  • On-Campus Community Resources

    TransAction

    TransAction is MSU’s student-run organization that centers transgender, nonbinary, and gender nonconforming undergraduate students. TransAction prioritizes student support, community-building, and advocacy work across campus, which they work closely with our sibling organization, transcend, to accomplish. TransAction holds weekly meetings where students foster a supportive community of other trans, nonbinary and gender nonconforming students. The executive board pursues many advocacy initiatives across campus, from expanding access to gender neutral bathrooms, bringing the needs of our trans+ students to MSU's leadership, and much more. To find out how to get involved, primarily through their weekly meetings, please join our Discord! You can also reach out to the executive board through our email, or learn more about them through their Website and Instagram.

     

    transcend 

    transcend is a campus-wide caucus which seeks to build a sense of community and build a resource base for transgender, nonbinary, and/or gender non-conforming MSU students. A supportive network with ample resources helps combat the transphobia, cissexism, transmisogyny, and isolation that these students frequently experience across campus. transcend's primary resource is its transcend Office, jointly shared with their sibling organization TransAction, in which they offer free gender-affirming clothing, materials (binders, bras, etc.) and much more. The office is typically open two days a week or by appointment. 

    To reach transcend regarding any questions or to book an appointment at the transcend Office, you can contact their sibling organization, TransAction, through their email: transactionmsu@gmail.com

     

    Trans-ilience

    Trans-ilience is a community-engaged research team focused on supporting the health and well-being of transgender and nonbinary communities by contributing to positive social change through research and advocacy.

    We are a group of faculty, students, volunteers, and community members who are trans or nonbinary, as well as cis allies dedicated to doing research that matters and makes a difference in the lives of trans and nonbinary people.

Trans Guide to MSU