Barbara Nash entered the University of Utah’s geology department for the first time Wednesday.
She is not a new professor, but for the past 30 years, her colleagues have known her by her birth name “William.”
“For many years now, I have been dealing with a fundamental issue of personal identity. I am transgendered, which means my personal gender identity does not match my outward presentation of gender. In other words, although I have always been identified as and perceived to be male, my sense of self has always been female,” Nash wrote in an email to departmental staff May 8.
Nash is renowned for her work with volcanic rock chemistry and has previously been the chairman of the geology department.
For years, Nash has lived as a woman, but has continued to come to work as a man. College of Mines and Earth Sciences Dean Frank Brown never expected that Nash led this dual life.
“It took me by surprise. Maybe it shouldn’t have,” Brown said.
Nash and Brown attended the University of California at Berkeley together as undergraduates and have been close friends for more than 35 years.
Brown said his initial reaction was not of outrage or shock, but acceptance.
“It was something like, ‘well, OK.’ We will deal with this. It is something new,” he said.
Nash has decided not to talk to the media directly, but wrote in her email:
“I imagine that my transition will be uncomfortable for some of you, and I genuinely regret any discomfort I might cause you. I can only say that my decision has not been entered into lightly, and what I am doing is not intended to cause anyone distress. Changing gender is not something one undertakes unless it is absolutely necessary for one’s well-being.”
Brown said transgenderism is a medical condition and Nash has only made the decision after consulting with a therapist and a physician. Nash is undergoing hormonal therapy.
Brown is concerned about Nash’s private life becoming too much of an issue, but is confident that the faculty, staff and students at the College of Mines and Earth Sciences will treat her with the utmost respect.
“People have been very understanding and supportive,” he said. “The university has a stated policy of not discriminating on the basis of gender, and we expect Barbara to be treated with the same respect as every other employee.”
Brown said it will be easiest for undergraduates to adapt to Nash’s sex change.
“The undergraduate students by and large won’t have known Professor Nash before the transition. They will simply meet a person that is new,” he said.
But Brown expects to have pronoun problems for awhile.
“The real lesson is we should take people as individuals and not worry about their sex,” he said.
