Gender and sexual diversity

With effect from 22 December 2018, intersex people living in Germany can choose between ‘diverse’ or ‘not specified’ in addition to the genders ‘male’ and ‘female’ when making an entry in the civil status register.

Individuals with variations in sex development can apply to have previous entries amended or replaced.

The legal basis is provided by Section 22, Subsection 3 and Section 45 b, Subsection 1, Sentence 1 of the German Civil Status Act (Personenstandsgesetz, PStG).

As a result, the civil status register now includes four options: ‘female’, ‘male’, ‘diverse’, and ‘not specified’.

Learn more External link

In principle, the student's own given name cannot be changed. It is chosen by the legal guardians in connection with birth and is the individual identifying mark of a person. Nevertheless, there are important reasons for changing one's name for which it is possible to deviate from this principle. These include, among others, cases where there is a discrepancy between the official given name and the gender identity of the person who bears that name.

The change of gender entry and first name in the civil status register will be made by means of a declaration to the registry office when the Act on Self-Determination with regard to Gender Entry (SBGG) comes into force on 1 November 2024. Learn more.External link

To enter the official change to your name and gender in your student or personnel records at the University Jena, please proceed as follows:

• Please make changes to the personal data registered in the student database using the "Change Notification" form in the Student Service Center. When doing so, please also attach the documents named in the form (e.g. a copy of the dgti supplementary ID). change notification.pdfExternal link
• Please apply for the change of your University E-Mail address via the URZ Service Desk (the registration change in the Student Administration under (1) should already have been completed). FSUJ Service Desk (uni-jena.de)External link
• If you want to exchange your Thoska card for one showing the new personal data, then you can get this done at the Thoska office during its opening hours. [Note however that when using the Thoska card as a train ticket, some people will prefer to have it showing the same personal data as their passport.] thoska_Contact (uni-jena.de

The way we address a person is generally known to be an essential part of their gender expression. Institutions are obliged to address people in a gender-neutral way and must ensue that this option is provided. For non-binary persons, the protection of their general personal rights and their right to be addressed in a way that corresponds to their gender identity not only begin with an official change of civil status.

Although there are currently no regulations on how to deal with gender diversity in language, there are various ways in which you can show respect for a person's gender identity and to avoid discrimination, for example by using gender-sensitive language.

Gender-neutral greetings

• Greeting an individual: Greeting + first name + second name (e.g. ‘Hello Thomas Müller’, ‘Hello Kim Schmidt’)
• Greeting a group of people: Including gender-neutral forms in German (‘Sehr geehrte Teilnehmende’, ‘Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren und sehr geehrte Interessierte’) and in English (‘Dear participants’, ‘Dear ladies and gentlemen, and dear interested parties’)

Use of pronouns when speaking about a person

When addressing a person, you should always take into account their preferred pronoun (often indicated in their personal signature) or simply ask how they prefer to be addressed (e.g. ‘How may I address you?’).

• Outside the gender binary (he/she, him/her), you can use the person's (first) name instead of using a pronoun (e.g. ‘I spoke to Kim Schmidt. Kim Schmidt said...’).
• At present, there are also other pronouns being discussed, such as the singular ‘sier’ in German (a combination of ‘sie’ and ‘er’) or ‘they’ in the singular and plural. A list of possible German pronouns is available hereExternal link.

Further information:

• Our flyer ‘Fair actions—Fair speech. Use of gender-neutral language at Friedrich Schiller University Jena’pdf, 345 kb contains several tips and recommendations for using gender-neutral language.
• The brochure ‘Inter* und Sprache’ External link^DE contains a selection of terms referring to inter* people, with critical comments from the TrIQ project ‘Antidiskriminierungsarbeit & Empowerment für Inter’, a project committed to anti-discrimination work & empowerment for inter* people.

Following a decision by the Senate in May 2017, the University of Jena installed all-gender toilets in its central buildings on campus with corresponding signs.

The Student Representative Council's ‘Queer Paradies External link’ unit is a contact point for LGBTQIA+ students. They represent the interests of queer students and offer a space to meet, exchange ideas, get support and, of course, connect to other queer students and allies.

Friedrich Schiller University Jena is happy to provide organizational support for LGBTIQ* members who want to set up an (online) network in order to exchange their experiences in everyday university life.

If you are planning to launch such an initiative, please contact the Diversity Office.

TG DeutschlandExternal link  (formally: Transgender-Deutschland) is a German-language discord server that was founded to offer trans* and gender questioning people a platform for exchange.