A student at UCLA has come under fire from his transgender peers over an alleged abuse of the school’s new name-change policy after he opted to change the name on his student ID to “Lightning Kachow-McQ.”
UCLA student Tyler Roope is facing a serious backlash online after showing off photos of his new student identification card, which lists his name as “Lightning-Kachow-McQ.”
“Since July, students have been able to use their preferred names on their BruinCards,” a post from the Daily Bruin‘s Instagram page reads. “Returning students can update their BruinCards by registering their preferred name through MyUCLA and paying a $5 fee for a replacement card. Andy Talajkowski said they feel more validated and acknowledged after changing their name on their new BruinCard. ”
Roope wanted to test the boundaries of the new name-change system. ““The boundaries had to be tested and I can’t believe this actually worked,” he wrote in his tweet. “My professors now legally have to call me this.”
Students immediately condemned his decision on social media.
Roope fired back at one critic with a photo of himself in his wheelchair, captioned only with the word, “kachow.” In another response, he wrote, “I did this because honestly lightning McQueen is red with 4 tires and so am I.”
Roope eventually posted an apology. “I would like to apologize if this offended you or anyone for that matter,” he wrote. “However, I can assure you this isn’t at the expense of anyone.”