Alias career: what it is and how to activate it in schools and universities

Being called by one’s own name is something most people take for granted. For transgender students, however, being called every day by a name that does not match their identity can turn school into a hostile environment. Alias career was created precisely to solve this problem: it is an agreement that allows the use of a chosen name instead of the legal name within the school or university, without having to wait for the lengthy legal procedure of vital records rectification.

In this guide, we explain what it is, how it works, how to activate it, and what to do if the institution does not offer it.

What is alias career

Alias career is a confidentiality agreement made between the school or university, the individual concerned, and, in the case of underage students, the family [1][10]. It is not a legal document with external validity, but an internal administrative procedure that allows the replacement of the legal name with the chosen name (the name selected by the person) in all contexts of school or academic life.

In practice, alias career applies to:

• Electronic register and classroom roll calls
• Badges and identification cards
• Institutional email (in universities)
• Internal communications between teachers and staff
• Lists and everyday documents

Alias career does not modify externally valid legal documents: diplomas, official report cards, degree certificates, tax identification numbers, and any other documents intended for external entities remain under the legal name [2][6]. To change those, vital records rectification through the courts, as provided by Law 164/1982, is required [8].

The main objective is to protect the student’s psychological well-being, prevent episodes of bullying and discrimination, and reduce the risk of school dropout, a phenomenon that disproportionately affects transgender youth [7].

The legal framework

In Italy, there is no national law regulating alias career in schools or universities [6][7]. The Ministry of Education has never issued specific guidelines for institutions to follow. The adoption of alias career is therefore a voluntary decision by the individual institution, approved by the School Board (in schools) or the Academic Senate (in universities).

This does not mean, however, that alias career lacks legal foundation. On the contrary, Italian case law provides a solid basis.

Constitutional principles

Article 2 of the Constitution recognizes and guarantees the inviolable rights of the person, which include the right to personal identity. The Constitutional Court has stated on multiple occasions that gender identity is a constitutive element of the right to personal identity:

• Ruling no. 221/2015 established that gender identity falls within the fundamental rights of the person and that surgical intervention is not necessary to obtain its recognition [4].
• Ruling no. 180/2017 reaffirmed that gender identity, as subjectively perceived and lived, deserves constitutional protection at all times, not only at the end of a medical-legal process [5].

Law 164/1982 and privacy regulations

Law 164/1982 governs the rectification of sex attribution in civil registries [8], but alias career operates at a different level: it does not modify civil status, but rather regulates the use of names within an institution.

EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) classifies data related to gender identity as special category data (Article 9), subject to enhanced protection [9]. This means that the school or university, in managing the alias career, must handle information with the utmost confidentiality, restricting access to original legal data to strictly authorized personnel only.

Rete Lenford’s contribution

Rete Lenford (an LGBTI+ rights law organization) developed a model regulation for activating alias identity in schools, presented in 2022 and based on five principles: linguistic recognition, self-determination (also for minors over 14), de-pathologization, confidentiality, and staff training [3]. The model is available free of charge on the association’s website and serves as a reference for schools seeking to adopt a regulation.

How to activate it in school

The procedure varies from institution to institution, but generally follows these steps [6][7]:

1. Check if the school has a regulation

The first step is to check if the School Board has already approved an alias career regulation. The list maintained by AGEDO Nazionale includes over 516 schools across Italy that have adopted alias career in their regulations (data updated to February 2026), of which 510 are state schools and 6 are private accredited schools [1].

If the school is on the list, the procedure is already in place and one can approach the administrative office or the principal directly.

2. Submit the request

The request must be submitted in writing to the school, generally via email with a confidential subject line. Depending on the situation:

• Adult student: the request can be submitted directly by the student.
• Underage student: the request must be signed by both parents or legal guardians.

The request states that the student has a gender identity different from the one assigned at birth and asks for the activation of alias career. No medical diagnosis, psychological certificate, or health documentation is required [3].

3. Meeting and signing the agreement

The principal (or a designated contact person) arranges a confidential meeting with the student and, if underage, the parents. During this meeting:

• The methods of activation and their limitations are explained
• An agreement is reached on which internal documents will be modified
• A confidentiality agreement is signed, binding the school to privacy protection

4. Activation

Once the agreement is signed, the administrative office updates the electronic register, badge, and internal documents. Teachers are informed confidentially by the principal. From that point on, in the classroom and in all internal communications, the student is called by their chosen name.

If the school does not have a regulation

If the school has not yet adopted alias career, the recommended approach is to:

• Talk to the class coordinator as a first step
• Ask the coordinator to bring the matter to the Class Council and then to the principal
• Propose that the principal adopt a regulation, using the Rete Lenford model [3] as a reference
• Involve parent and student representatives in the School Board

How to activate it in university

In universities, alias career is generally more structured and widespread. According to Infotrans mapping, about 48 Italian universities (public and private) have activated alias career [2], distributed across nearly all regions.

The university procedure

The typical procedure involves:

1. Request to the student office: a form available on the university website or at the student office is completed.
2. Documentation: generally, a self-declaration or statement of intent is sufficient. Some universities may request documentation related to an ongoing gender affirmation process, but the trend is toward simplification.
3. Activation of the alias profile: the student office creates an alternative bureaucratic profile with the chosen name. This is reflected in:
   • Student booklet
   • Institutional email
   • Badge and identification card
   • Attendance register and exam records
   • Digital platforms (student portal, e-learning)
4. Confidentiality: only authorized student office staff can access the original legal data.

Some universities that have adopted alias career

The complete and updated list can be consulted on Infotrans [2]. Among the universities that have formally activated it are, by way of example:

• Lombardy: Politecnico di Milano, University of Milan (Statale), University of Milan-Bicocca, Bocconi University, Catholic University
• Veneto: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, University of Padua
• Emilia-Romagna: University of Bologna, University of Parma
• Tuscany: University of Florence, University of Siena
• Lazio: Sapienza University of Rome
• Piedmont: University of Turin
• Sardinia: University of Cagliari
• Campania: University of Naples Federico II

To check whether your university offers alias career, the safest way is to search the official university website for “carriera alias” or contact the student office.

What changes and what does not

It is essential to understand the scope of alias career to avoid unrealistic expectations.

What changes

Document / context	Is it updated?
Electronic class register	Yes
Badge and identification card	Yes
Institutional email	Yes
Classroom roll call	Yes
Internal communications	Yes
Institutional digital platforms	Yes

What does NOT change

Document / context	Is it updated?
High school diploma or degree certificate	No
Official report card	No
Certificates for external entities	No
Tax identification number	No
Identity card	No
Legally valid certificates	No

To modify legally valid documents, vital records rectification through a court ruling is necessary, as provided by Law 164/1982 [8]. Alias career and vital records rectification are two distinct paths: the former is internal to the institution, the latter affects the person’s entire legal life.

Student rights

The activation of alias career comes with a set of protections concerning daily life at school or university.

Privacy

The school is required to guarantee maximum confidentiality. The legal name must not be disclosed to classmates, other students’ parents, or staff not directly involved. A breach of confidentiality by a teacher or staff member may constitute a violation of the GDPR [9] and of the student’s right to privacy.

Restrooms and changing rooms

Many regulations provide that the student may use restrooms and changing rooms consistent with their gender identity. In the absence of specific provisions, the school should find solutions that respect the student’s dignity, such as access to single-occupancy facilities or designated spaces.

School trips and off-site activities

During school trips, room arrangements should respect the student’s gender identity. The school is expected to reach an agreement with the student (and family, if underage) to ensure comfort and safety.

School sports

For internal school sports activities, alias career generally allows participation in categories consistent with one’s gender identity. For official competitions organized by sports federations, the regulations of individual federations apply, which may have different criteria.

If the school refuses

If the institution does not offer alias career and the principal is unwilling to cooperate, there are several paths to assert one’s rights.

Who to contact

• Regional School Office (USR): the Ministry of Education’s territorial body. The situation can be reported and intervention requested.
• Data Protection Authority: if the school uses the legal name in contexts where it is unnecessary, causing unwanted exposure of gender identity, a complaint for privacy violation can be filed.
• Regional civic defender: can intervene in disputes between citizens and public administration.

Reference organizations

Several organizations offer legal and practical support:

• Rete Lenford (retelenford.it): an LGBTI+ rights law organization, it offers legal advice and developed the model regulation for schools [3].
• AGEDO (agedonazionale.org): an association of parents of LGBTI+ people, it maintains the updated list of schools with alias career and offers family support [1].
• Arcigay and local chapters: can accompany students and families in dialogue with the school.
• GenderLens (genderlens.org): provides model regulations, template letters, and practical information [10].

Legal precedent

The case law of the Constitutional Court [4][5] and the Court of Cassation recognizes gender identity as a fundamental right of the person. This means that, even in the absence of a specific law on alias career, an institution’s refusal can be challenged by invoking the constitutional principles of personal protection and the right to non-discrimination [11].

The state of adoption

The numbers show steady growth. According to AGEDO, schools with alias career in their regulations have increased from 51 in the 2020-2021 school year to over 516 in 2026 [1]. Lombardy leads with 72 institutions, followed by Veneto (41) and Piedmont (39).

On the university front, about 48 universities have adopted alias career [2], covering nearly all Italian regions, with higher concentrations in Lombardy, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Lazio, Tuscany, and Veneto.

Despite the growth, adoption remains uneven: in some regions in central and southern Italy, coverage is still limited. The lack of ministerial guidelines means that a student’s experience depends largely on the sensitivity of the individual institution and its principal [6].

Fact-checking: responses to common claims

Several claims circulate about alias career that do not correspond to the facts. Let us examine the main ones.

“Alias career confuses children”

Scientific data say the opposite. A study published in 2018 in the Journal of Adolescent Health by Russell and colleagues analyzed a sample of 129 transgender youth aged 15 to 21, comparing those who could use their chosen name in various contexts (school, home, work, friends) with those who could not [12]. The results show that chosen name use is associated with a 71% reduction in episodes of severe depression, a 34% reduction in suicidal ideation, and a 65% reduction in suicide attempts compared to those who could not use it in any context.

Calling a student by the name they identify with does not create confusion: it is a gesture of respect with measurable effects on mental health.

“Alias career bypasses parents”

This claim ignores how the procedure actually works. For underage students, parental consent is an essential requirement in the vast majority of protocols adopted by Italian schools [6][7]. The activation request must be signed by both parents (or legal guardians), and the principal convenes a meeting with the family before signing the agreement.

Parents are not excluded from the process: they are an active and necessary part of it. Alias career, in fact, creates a structured communication channel between family, student, and school.

Further reading

Alias career is a tool of social transition that does not require any medical pathway. If you are also considering modifying official documents, see the guide on changing documents and vital records rectification. For a comprehensive overview of school life for transgender people in Italy, read the article on transgender people and school.

If you need support or do not know where to start, talking to an organization like AGEDO or Rete Lenford can be the first step. You are not alone and you do not have to face everything on your own.