Forms 101

id: a dark skinned hand holding a pen and filling out a form.

Click here to download Forms 101 as

An audio file - an A4 print size (1 page) - a large A4 print/mobile version - a plaintext doc

Article By Max Tran (he/they)


Filling out a form or going to the bathroom may feel like second nature to most people. Yet, these activities are often distressing for the transgender and gender diverse community. I hope this article will help local businesses make their forms and bathrooms more inclusive and alleviate some of the stress felt by trans people.

Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to forms - it will depend on the information you need to collect. But, these points provide a general guide and suggest some things to think about.


1.     Gender and Sex

Gender and sex are different, so it is important to not use them interchangeably. Although body parts don’t have genders, we generally assign people to either a “female” or “male” sex category at birth. This doesn’t always line up with their gender - whether they feel, live, or present as “male”, “female”, or non-binary. A person’s legal sex marker and gender may be completely different.

Think and consider:

  • Do I need to know the person's gender or sex? Make sure you aren't asking out of habit!

  • Do I need to know their sex AND gender? Or, will simply their gender be enough?

  • If you need to know the person's gender, be sure to include options other than male and female (e.g., non-binary, agender, genderfluid). 

  • Including an open-ended response option is great (there are lots of genders!). Simply having an 'X' or 'other' option is not ideal, despite these being the only options in many places (e.g., Medicare, Centrelink, etc.). 

  • Don't forget to consider non-western genders (e.g., Brotherboys, Sistergirls, Two-Spirit, and more). Remember, the gender binary is a western ideal that has been enforced around the world through colonisation. 

  • If you really need to know a person's sex (very uncommon), avoid using "biological sex" and instead use terms like "sex assigned at birth".


2.    Names

Many trans people start using a new name before they can change it legally. If you legitimately need to know someone's legal name, you should include a "preferred name" option.


3.    Titles (e.g., Mr, Mrs, Miss)

Navigating titles can also be difficult for trans people, especially when available options are very gendered.

Ideally, remove titles from the form altogether. If you can't remove them, you can try to include gender-inclusive varieties  (e.g., Mx, pronounced "mix").   


4.    Pronouns (e.g., she/her, he/him, they/them). 

Using correct pronouns is a great way to support trans people! Forms can include a section for people's pronouns. This is particularly useful when there is lots of communication between various people.


Pronouns can change over time, and it is okay to ask people if you are unsure!