As society continues to evolve, it experiences some growing pains. Gender is no longer black and white as was once accepted, so institutions such as historically women’s colleges are contemplating changing with the times. This will not be an overnight process.
The students at Wellesley College in Massachusetts are attempting to create change but are facing pushback from college officials. They voted to admit transgender men and all nonbinary individuals, but college officials say there are no plans to implement these student desires.
The referendum that students voted on was nonbinding. Officials were not required to take action based on it. It simply asked if the students “supported a proposal to the board of trustees that would admit transgender men and all nonbinary individuals regardless of their assigned gender at birth.” The students agreed with this change.
According to its website, Wellesley currently accepts students who “live as a woman and consistently identify as a woman.” This translates to accepting nonbinary students who are assigned female at birth and trans women. It excludes trans men and nonbinary persons assigned male at birth.
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The referendum also proposes Wellesley change “gender-specific language … in reference to its student body.” Wellesley would instead use students instead of women. Pronouns would also become gender neutral, utilizing they/them.
Stacey Schmeidel, Wellesley’s director of media relations, said there is “no plan” to take action and enact policy changes based on this vote. She did clarify that this was an ongoing conversation.
“The college will continue to engage all students, including transgender male and nonbinary students, in the important work of building an inclusive academic community where everyone feels they belong,” she stated.
One week earlier, Paula A. Johnson, Wellesley's president, doubled down on gender roles at the institution. “Going forward, we will continue to advance our mission as a women’s college while acknowledging and celebrating our students’ diverse identities. We will also continue to listen to all members of our community, to ensure that all feel seen here at Wellesley,” she wrote to the student body.
This did not go over well with many. It inspired a sit-in in Paula’s office. Students held signs saying “Trans Students Belong.”
It also prompted the student newspaper, The Wellesley News, to publish a pointed editorial. “Transgender and nonbinary students have always belonged and will continue to belong at Wellesley,” it stated. The paper's staff felt the need to speak out especially in light of the recent New York Times article defending J.K. Rowling. “We want to end with our unequivocal support for transgender, nonbinary and gender non-conforming people — at Wellesley and everywhere — who enrich all communities they are part of,” the editorial concluded.
This vote is part of a larger debate that similar historically women’s colleges are facing. Each has responded to societal change in different ways. Vassar went coed in 1969. Radcliffe merged with Harvard in 1999. Mount Holyoke accepts “female, transgender and nonbinary students,” while Barnard, Smith, and Bryn Mawr exclude transgender men. Time will tell how Wellesley responds to this latest development.
