Dutch university was following too strictly law against second diplomas
The University of Amsterdam will be issuing a new diploma with a new name for a student who has a had a sex change since he graduated. Dutch education minister Marja van Bijsterveldt said on Tuesday that the university was following a too strict interpretation of a law that forbids replacement diplomas. Justus Eifeld, now a man, was a woman when he graduated in 2001. Two years ago, the university had offered to give him a certificate confirming his graduation, but he found that unsatisfactory. He took his complaint to the Equal Opportunities Commission, which also ruled in his favour on Tuesday. The university “should have recognized that a gender change is a reason to replace a diploma,” a spokesperson for the Commission said.