Students at toney Wellesley College are voting Tuesday on whether to allow transgender men and non-binary students to attend the school.
Wellesley is a top liberal arts college that, for the past 150 years, has only admitted female students, and is the alma mater for women such as former first lady and Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.
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"The results of the vote on this ballot question are nonbinding and will not impact any of the policies or practices of the College or of student organizations at Wellesley," Wellesley President Paula A. Johnson released in a statement. "Instead, this ballot question asks students to express their views on the College’s gender policy as it relates to admission and to its use of language in College communications—both issues that are central to Wellesley’s mission and identity."
President Johnson voiced her reasons for opposing the measure: "We are not a ‘historically women’s college,’ a term that only applies to women’s colleges that have made the decision to enroll men. We have chosen a different path, one that aligns with peer institutions including Barnard, Smith, and Bryn Mawr colleges."
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"Wellesley admits applicants who identify and live consistently as women, regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth. Our community includes students from a broad spectrum of racial, ethnic, geographic, socioeconomic, and religious groups," President Johnson continued. "Some transgender male and nonbinary students whose identities have evolved during their time here say they feel excluded by the College’s use of the words ‘women’ and ‘alumnae’—and feel that their individual identities are not embraced."
The Wellesley student newspaper penned a blistering response to President Johnson which attacked the New York Times and sought to "remind the Wellesley community that President Johnson is the spokesperson for the Board of Trustees, which must be held equally responsible for the College’s transphobic rhetoric."
The cost to attend Wellesley College can reach $88,291 per academic year according to its website.
