Trans people could remove ‘deadname’ from Gmail address under new changes

Trans people could be able to update their email address with their new name under an upcoming Gmail update.

The world’s largest email provider is reportedly rolling out a new function which will allow users to update their “gmail.com” addresses.

The email service, operated by Google, currently forbids users with a Gmail handle from changing their email address.

However, according to the blog 9 to 5 Google, an updated section to its support page suggests developers are “gradually rolling out” a change which will allow addresses to be changes.

The new section, which is currently only present on Google’s Hindi support pages, reads: “If you’d like, you can change your Google Account email address that ends in gmail.com to a new email address that ends in gmail.com.”

When users change their email address, the old handle will reportedly become an ‘alias’ address, meaning that emails sent to the old address will automatically forward to the new one.

Google notes that users who change their address will be unable to create a new email address for 12 months and will be unable to delete the new handle.

If fully implemented, the change could allow trans users to remove their deadname – a name commonly given to them at birth which may not match their correct gender identity – from their email address without having to create a completely new account.

While Gmail currently allows users to change their display name on emails, the current inability to change the actual email handle to remove a user’s deadname is a common problem among people in the community.

One individual complained about the restriction in a post on Reddit, saying they were reluctant to make a new account given how much they have stored on Google’s services such as Google Drive or Google Contacts.

“I think I’d rather not have any trace of my deadname publicly visible, but I’m not sure if I should get rid of my whole account or just try to hide it behind a proxy email,” they wrote.

Members of the Google Pixel Hub Telegram group commended the change, with one user writing it would be “huge if true.”

“Many of us have had Gmail since the beginning when we didn’t know it would matter this much,” they wrote. “Many others got their accounts as kids under the same lack of realisation, and some people have changed their names.”

While the changes aren’t fully live yet, 9 to 5 Google noted that news on the update came earlier than expected.