Wellesley College rejects transgender admissions policy pushed by students
Jeremiah Poff
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The administration of Wellesley College says the all-women’s college has no intention of admitting biological females that identify as men despite a vote by the student body endorsing the proposition.
On Tuesday, the student body of the Massachusetts women’s college voted to approve a non-binding referendum that called on the school to admit biological females who identify as men. Currently, the school says “those assigned female at birth who identify as men are not eligible for admission.”
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In a statement after the result, college President Paula Johnson said that while the administration “acknowledge[d] the result of the non-binding student ballot initiative,” the college had no intention of revisiting its admissions policies.
“For nearly 150 years, Wellesley’s mission has been to provide an excellent liberal arts education to women who will make a difference in the world,” Johnson said. “Wellesley admits eligible applicants who consistently identify and live as women, including cis, trans and nonbinary students. Wellesley is also an inclusive community that embraces students, faculty, and staff of diverse gender identities. … Although there is no plan to revisit our mission as a women’s college or our admissions policy, we will continue to engage all students in the important work of building an inclusive academic community where everyone feels they belong.”
The college did not announce what percentage of the student body voted for the change, only that it had passed. A spokeswoman for the college told the Washington Examiner that the school typically announces the outcome of student votes with no breakdown of results.
One student proponent of the referendum told the Wellesley News last month that the school “is not currently a women’s college” and that “you interact with students of all genders every day.”
“Wellesley was founded as a women’s college because they wanted to create a safe and supportive learning environment for people who were marginalized based on gender,” the student said. “Such a place should welcome and support trans women, trans men, and nonbinary people as well. Past, present, and future trans and nonbinary students at Wellesley should feel like the college has their back, acknowledges their identity, and supports their access to a Wellesley education.”
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While the school reiterated that it won’t allow transgender students who identify as men to enroll, the college previously announced in 2015 that it would change its admissions policy to accept applications from any student who “lives as a woman and consistently identifies as a woman.” The change allowed the school to admit biological males who identify as women to the college.
The Massachusetts college is known for boasting several high-profile graduates, including former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright, as well as ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer.