Eine deutsche Übersetzung wird in Kürze veröffentlicht

To the Rectorate, Administration, and Community of the University of Applied Arts Vienna,

We, the undersigned, unequivocally denounce the University of Applied Arts Vienna for its discriminatory and harmful practice of requiring documentation to confirm an employee's gender in its recently revised personal forms. This policy stands in stark contrast to principles of inclusion and gender equity by perpetuating an environment where trans and gender-diverse individuals are subject to unnecessary scrutiny, limitations, and bureaucratic hurdles or exclusion while simply affirming their gender identity in their place of work. The recent experiences of Dusty Whistles, a trans woman and social practice artist invited as a guest lecturer for the “Interdisciplinary Project Design / Photography” workshop, illuminates a deeply troubling pattern of insensitivity, inaction and institutionalized violence.

In December 2025 Dusty Whistles was invited to teach the "Interdisciplinary Project Design / Photography" workshop, a compulsory component within the curriculum of both the Department of Applied Photography and the Department of Design and Narrative Media. However, the onboarding process became a protracted and deeply distressing ordeal, with negotiations lasting a total of 4 months. The conflict arose due to trans insensitive language and eventually trans exclusionary requirements within the University's personal form, all of which fundamentally undermined the institution's stated commitment to inclusion.

During the course of negotiations the personal form was revised a total of 5 times. The first version of the document mistranslated the request for “Geburtsname”, referring to the surname, or last name a person receives at birth. In the English language version of the form this request was communicated with the phrase “birth name, previous last names”. This phrasing could be misconstrued as asking for an employees first name given at birth, which for some trans people is understood their “dead name” (a part of transitioning for many trans people involves a change in name). Dusty brought this mistranslation to the attention of the personnel department and highlighted its potential harm to trans employees. The department refused to correct it, prompting Dusty to assert that her participation as lecturer of the workshop was conditional on the university being a trans-inclusive workplace. Despite this, the University created a university email for her and listed the workshop and her name as the lecturer publicly to the student body, indicating a disregard for Dusty's conditional agreement.

Nine days after the initial complaint, a second version of the form was issued. "Birth name, previous last names" was changed to "Previous name according to birth certificate," an even more hostile phrasing. A mandatory section on gender was also added for the first time to the personal form, explicitly requesting documents should employees mark "diverse." This is a bureaucratic impossibility in Austria, as receiving an X on a passport for nonbinary people is still not accessible, despite ongoing attempts in court. Dusty provided detailed feedback to multiple senior university officials, including the Vice Rector for Art, Teaching and Learning, highlighting the harm the newly revised form caused to trans people while offering suggestions for improvement.

A third version finally corrected "Previous name according to birth certificate" to "Birth surname." However, the mandatory gender section, previously only requiring documents for "diverse," was now changed to require documentation for all gender options (M, F, D). Dusty again provided comprehensive feedback, suggesting a "Self-ID" approach for internal processes, distinguishing it from Austrian state requirements, and clearly stated that further feedback would incur a consultation fee.

The third version, sent only to Dusty as an attachment, used the corrected "Birth surname" and finally removed the requirement for documents for gender selection. Crucially, however, this corrected version was not made generally available; the discriminatory third version remained accessible to other employees. This discrepancy led Christian Schlager, the workshop's programmer, to email senior leadership, including the Rector, seeking clarification and advocating for "awareness and inclusion measures."

An apology was eventually issued by Gerhild Steinbuch, Vice Rector for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and an awareness-raising workshop was suggested. However, the critical discrepancy between the forms was not addressed. Finally the corrected fourth version of the form was made accessible to all, and was uploaded to the employee platform. Later, Dusty discovered the corrected fourth version had been replaced by the discriminatory third version on the publicly linked form. Despite assurances from Christian Schlager that the fourth version remained on the employee platform, a subsequent, new fifth version of the form was later found on the original link. This fifth version subtly reinstated the documentation requirement for gender with an asterisk, indicating the universities persistence on collecting documents for gender selection.

With the date of the workshop fast approaching Dusty was ultimately replaced as the workshop lecturer by a friend of Christian Schlager, despite alternative dates later in the semester having already been proposed. This was communicated to her in a highly unprofessional manner, via direct message on instagram and not by email.

Having just transitioned out of homelessness, Dusty's loss of a wage of €3,358.46 adds injury to insult, compounding upon the institutional violence and exploitation she had just endured while facing systemic inaction and discriminatory policies that harm trans individuals such as herself. This prolonged negotiation, marked by repeated failures to implement inclusive language, the introduction of discriminatory gender documentation requirements, and a lack of transparency regarding internal processes, inflicted significant emotional labor and distress upon Dusty Whistles. Despite Dusty's persistent advocacy and concrete suggestions, the University failed to uphold its commitment to a trans-inclusive work environment. 

In her last correspondence with Gerhild Steinbuch, before loosing her role as lecturer for the “Interdisciplinary Project Design / Photography” workshop in the spring semester of 2026, she reiterated her request for the university to commit to adopting a "Self-ID" approach for gender affirmation within the universities internal bureaucratic structures. “Self-ID” is the principle that an individual's gender identity is determined by themselves, and not by external medical, psychological, or legal gatekeepers. The movement for “Self-ID” has gained momentum as a human rights issue, advocating for simplified, rights-based procedures where individuals can legally affirm their gender themselves. This approach respects bodily autonomy, privacy, and the dignity of trans and gender-diverse people. Across Europe, numerous countries have adopted legislative frameworks that recognize gender based on self-identification, reflecting a progressive shift in human rights. These include Ireland (2015), Denmark (2014), Malta (2015), Norway (2016), Belgium (2017), Portugal (2018), Spain (2023) and Germany (2024). A “Self-ID” approach is not only feasible, but aligns with modern human rights standards and the principle of inclusion.

“Self-ID” policies in the workplace align with international best practices for promoting an inclusive and respectful work environment for trans and gender-diverse individuals. Despite Austria's regressive and exclusionary approach to bureaucratic gender transition, workplaces that seek to be inclusive places for trans people can adopt an internal “Self-ID” policy for gender. As an internal policy this does not have to be in conflict with legal requirements from the state by managing the distinction between internal records and external legal obligations. This can, and should be done in a way that does not reproduce harm. Practices such as the request to collect documents to confirm an employee's gender have no place in any workplace committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The University of Applied Arts Vienna must immediately cease its trans discriminatory practices and commit to fostering a truly inclusive work environment. 

We, the undersigned, demand the following:

1. The University must publicly commit to a policy of self-identification for gender on all of its internal employee and student forms. This means removing any requirement for documentation to confirm gender and trusting individuals to affirm their own identities.

2. The Rectorate must issue a public apology to Dusty Whistles for the protracted harm, emotional labor, and professional setbacks caused by the University's discriminatory forms and bureaucratic intransigence. Dusty deserves to be compensated for her labor, and the development of a trans inclusive framework in the university should not be born out of the exploitation of a vulnerable trans woman who recently endured two years of homelessness. 

3. The University must commit to a transparent accountability process to address the systemic failures highlighted by Dusty's case. This process should involve the input of paid trans individuals, and aim to identify and rectify the institutional shortcomings that allowed this situation to unfold. 

4. While awareness workshops and long-term DEI strategies are welcome, they must not be used as an excuse for continued inaction. Concrete, immediate and transparent steps towards an inclusive environment, starting with form revisions, are paramount.

This is a call upon all students, staff, and alumni of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, as well as LGBTQ+ organizations in Austria to join in demanding that the university takes the needs, wants and lived experiences of trans people into consideration and refuse policies that lead to trans exclusion and discrimination.

Sign the petition to tell the University of Applied Arts Vienna that transphobia has no place in academia and that a truly inclusive environment requires dedicated action.

* for a full transcript of correspondences between Dusty and the university (47 pages), as well as a detailed summary of the exchange (3 pages), please see the link below:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1qhGHy73eklittkoFbtYsX3P0PG2Zwnr_?usp=drive_link