California State University-Long Beach (CSULB) is probing for some highly sensitive sexual information from its students, Campus Reform reports.
Cal State expects them to reveal their sexual orientations and gender identities so it can then share the information with the state government and the public.
CSULB notified students of this potential invasion of privacy last Tuesday through its online “MyCSULB” portal by suggesting that “many students do not identify with binary terminology for gender identity and sexual orientation,” so the school would provide “an expanded list of identity-based terms” that they could use to update their personal information records.
“Students can now choose from an expanded list of identity-based terms for gender and sexual orientation,” states the website.
“We believe the recognition of marginalized orientations and gender identities is an integral step in overcoming the oppression and discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community, and we hope this helps make CSULB a more validating and supportive place for all students,” it continues.
“We are pleased to announce that students can now choose from an expanded list of identity-based terms for gender and sexual orientation.”
The expanded list of terms asks students three questions that can be answered using a convenient drop-down feature that offers a number of possible responses. They can either decline to answer or select another option, at which point they must “please specify.”
The first prompt inquires “Do you consider yourself to be…” and offers the following options: gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, pansexual, queer or “not sure.”
Students can also indicate that they are not restrained by the traditional acceptance of just two genders but can indicate how they “express [their] gender identity in terms of behavior, appearance, speech, and movement.”
If participants are still comprehending the survey’s flow, they define their gender identity as “Genderqueer,” “Gender Non-Conforming,” both, or “not sure.”
Not finished with its probing questions, the survey then inquires about a student’s specific sexuality by presenting another list of terms both arcane and well-known, such as genderqueer/gender non-conforming, man, woman, trans man and trans woman.
Students can opt for “not sure” again, decline to answer or just come up with their own terminology.
All of this will be shared with state number-crunchers. Though Cal State assures the respondents that all of their data will remain strictly confidential and “will not be used for discriminatory purposes,” students are blithely told that their information will be utilized to prepare state demographic data.
The university assures students that just their personal information and not their personal identities will be shared with all Cal State university locations, along with the California legislature.
California Education Code Section 66027 now mandates that all taxpayer-funded colleges and universities in the state allow students and faculty to identify their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression when completing a demographics form. The consequent data is then shared with the state.