Morehouse: “[We’re] proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men…”
Jair Hilburn, Editor-In-Chief
For 152 years, Morehouse College has prided itself on being the only institution of higher learning dedicated to Black men and the only HBCU for men. So, it’s highly significant that the institution announced Saturday that it will now accept trans men after developing that policy for 15 months.
“In furtherance of our mission, tradition, and values as a men’s college, and in recognition of our changing world and evolving understanding of gender identity,
Morehouse will now consider for admission applicants who live and self-identify as men, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth,” the college said in a statement.
Even with this policy in place, students that are non-binary or gender non-conforming are still eligible to be accepted into the institution. However, the school will still use “gendered language that reflects [its] identity as a men’s college.”
The college stated that this policy doesn’t mean that women are eligible to be accepted into the school.
The policy also states that students that transition from a man to a woman while they are enrolled will not be able to continue their matriculation at Morehouse, but the student can appeal being separated from the college.
“Exemptions from this rule may be granted by a three-person committee appointed by the President after a written appeal is submitted by the student,” the college said in its statement. “If the student disagrees with the committee’s decision, the student may make a final appeal to the President of Morehouse. The appeal must address why the student desires continuation at Morehouse, a school explicitly designed for men, and any hardship to be incurred by forced withdrawal.”
If the student feels as though Morehouse is not an appropriate space for the student or “begins to self-identify as a woman,” the school will “offer guidance and resources to assist in making choices that are best for that student.”
Students that are already enrolled at Morehouse will not be affected by this policy since it applies to students who begin their education at Morehouse during and after the Fall 2020 semester. On the school’s website, there are articles that are related to the school’s new policy that are available for all to read.
