Law School Application Has Thirteen Gender Options but not “Man” or “Woman”

Applicants can choose to select their gender from a drop down menu that includes “Demigender” “Two-Spirit” and “Cis Male” or “Cis Female.”

Applicants for the incoming class of 2021 at City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law were asked to select their gender from a drop down menu containing an astonishing thirteen genders, none of which are “man” or “woman.” Additionally, applicants can choose “decline to answer” or “a gender not listed.” The question is not required and the application can be submitted without answering it.

The application goes on to ask for applicants’ pronouns, with a drop down menu of eleven options, including “xe(i) / xir” and “ze(i) / zir.” If applicants select “I go by different pronouns,” they are invited to send an email indicating their pronouns to an admissions coordinator. 

The next and final question in the demographics section is “Do you identify as LGBTQ2IA+?”

For the incoming class of Fall 2022, the gender drop down menu has been revised to add more options. Applicants can now choose “questioning or unsure” “transmasculine” and “transfeminine.” The options for “Cis Male” and “Cis Female” have been updated to say “Cis Man / Male” and “Cis Woman / Female.”

The CUNY School of Law states that it “does not discriminate on the basis of sex” in its student admissions policies. But the application collects information on gender identity, not sex.

When asked by The Law School Admission Council LGBTQ+ Guide to Law Schools survey whether they “have a nondiscrimination policy that prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender identity,”  the law school does not specify, though they reiterate that they are “an equal opportunity and affirmative action institution.”

The Federal Equality Act, which has passed the house, amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of not only sex but also sexual orientation and gender identity. What this means is that if the Equality Act passed into law, the definition of sex would now include gender identity.

What is the law school doing with this information, what made them give these particular answer choices, what kind of student do they want to attract—these are all questions that remain to be answered.