Transitioning at Boulder
Changing your information, finding gender-affirming care and navigating systems can get complicated at a large university like Boulder. At the Pride Office, we’re here to help you figure out all of the processes involved. Check out the resources listed below, and keep an eye out for our upcoming Guide to Transitioning at Boulder.
If you don’t find the resources you’re looking for below, or if you want some one-on-one help navigating these and other resources, you can always reach out to our staff at pride@colorado.edu.
Name, gender and personal information changes
Students can update the name and pronouns used in Boulder online systems by going through the Buff Portal. This page has a step-by-step guide to updating your preferred name, pronouns, gender identity and sexual orientation.
All of this information, if provided, is protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) which means that access to it is restricted to staff who have a legitimate educational interest and have completed student data privacy training. To learn more about FERPA and who can access your information, see the Registrar’s FERPA Information page.
For a step-by-step guide to changing your legal name and gender markers in the state of Colorado, visit our legal name/gender change guide. This page provides information on name changes, guidelines for updating your gender marker in-state and federally, and how your gender change affects Selective Military Service status.
Please visit to fill out forms and learn more about legal name changes in Colorado. To change your name in Colorado, you must establish residency for three months and document that residency through a rental agreement, utility bills or other forms of proof.
Once your legal name has been changed, follow these instructions to update your legal name across the system.
To change your IdentiKey, email Jennie.Brucker@colorado.edu with your request, your full name, student or employee ID number and a phone number. You can also call the Office of Information Technology (OIT) at 303-735-4357 or set up a ticket in the .
Your display name is what shows up after the “from” field in your emails. To change your display name, follow for the IdentiKey manager.
Note: To update your display name, you must first enter a preferred name into either SIS (if you are a student) or PeopleSoft (if you are faculty/staff). Instructions for that process are here. It may take up to 48 hours for those changes to show up in the IdentiKey manager. If you still don’t see the name showing up, contact OIT at oithelp@colorado.edu.
You can get a new Buff OneCard with an updated name and photo free of charge. To change the name on your card, you must first enter a preferred name into either SIS (student information system) if you are a student or PeopleSoft if you are faculty/staff.
The Buff OneCard office also allows you to use a new photo of your choosing, which you can submit along with your updated name at boc@colorado.edu. Once your information is processed and confirmed, you can pick up your new card in the Buff OneCard office on the first floor of the C4C, located next to the Weathertech Cafe.
Gender-affirming care
The Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic (SLHC) offers gender-affirming voice training in addition to audiology, speech and language services to children and adults in the Boulder and Denver metropolitan area. These services are provided as part of on-site training for students who are studying to be speech, language and hearing professionals. All services are supervised by clinically certified, licensed speech-language pathologists or audiologists. To learn more about their programs, contact the department at slhcappointments@colorado.edu or 303-492-5375. Financial assistance is available.
Medical Services provides gender-affirming hormone therapy. If you are interested in starting or continuing gender-affirming hormone therapy, please call 303-492-5432 to schedule a consultation appointment. Providers are trained in and use the current World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards of care to initiate and manage hormone replacement therapy. You can also make an appointment online through your and request to meet with someone on the trans care team.
The Anthem Gold Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) provides unlimited surgical benefits. For referral letters to a surgeon (your surgeon may or may not require such a letter), please schedule an appointment to meet with a Medical Services provider.
If your surgeon requires two letters, you can also schedule an appointment to meet with a Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) provider.
If you work with an out-of-state surgeon, the LGBTQ+ Care Team can provide post-surgical care upon your return.
Please make an appointment with an insurance benefit specialist and the referral coordinator to ensure you know what will be covered.
Community resources
serves transgender, gender expansive and questioning adults and youth ages 13+ in Boulder County and surrounding areas. They create specific programming to address the unique issues of the trans and gender-expansive community. Take a look at their to see all programming.
is a welcoming, affirming space for transgender and gender diverse individuals to get together and build community. There are a number of weekly and monthly social support groups to attend and connect with others. They offer engaging classes, such as yoga or art workshops, as well as host community discussions and provide fingerprinting services on-site. See their to see all upcoming programming.
The offers peer-led support groups, opportunities to get together with other gender-expansive adults to socialize, form community and discuss various topics. Check out their for descriptions of the peer groups and meeting days/times. No payment required and all groups are for people 18 and older.
is a group of Colorado adults who support each other as we navigate the world while being our transgender (and other not-cisgender identities!) and autistic selves! They have regular peer support group meetings for anyone who identifies as trans (or non-binary) and autisitic (this also includes people with Asperger’s). THey do not require a formal diagnosis of autism for attendance. They also welcome people exploring their gender, even if they aren’t sure they are or are not trans.