Second-oldest US women's college will begin accepting transgender students
A women’s college in Missouri has amended its admissions policy and will begin accepting some transgender students as well as non-binary students assigned female at birth.
Stephens College in Columbia, the second-oldest women’s college in America, will put the new policy into effect come fall 2019, according to the Columbia Missourian.
As stated in a “frequently asked questions” document attached to the school’s updated enrolment and admissions policy, with the new policy, Stephens College has now “recommitted to its singular mission of educating women.”
“Consistent with our culture’s expanding understanding of the definition of womanhood, the college’s admissions policy will recognise both sex and gender identity in its determination of a student’s eligibility for admission and enrolment,” the document reads.
As part of the new policy, accepted students who were not born female but identify as such will be required to “provide legal documentation that they are legally women or that they are transitioning to female,” according to the school.
The college also explained that it will no longer be admitting students who were born female but identify as male, as well as students who identify as non-binary but are transitioning to male, as it had previously done, because it is “logistically consistent that it also acknowledges both sex and gender in its definition of manhood.”
The school has been considering the change in policy since 2014, according to KOMU, which reported that the school announced its “unanimous” decision to students and staff via email.
But, according to the school, the change will not impact students who are already enrolled.
Stephens College’s decision follows similar policy changes implemented by at least eight other all-women’s colleges since 2014 in the United States.
Mills College in Oakland, California was the first college to change its policy to allow for the acceptance of trans students, followed by Wellesley, Smith, Bryn Mawr, and Barnard.
