After students voted Tuesday to admit all “transgender” and “nonbinary” applicants, Wellesley College says “there is no plan” to change its all-women’s status.
The referendum sought to change Wellesley’s admissions policies regarding applicants who do not identify as women and use more “inclusive” language in communications from the college. Students would prefer to get rid of words like “women” and “alumnae” because some students and graduates feel excluded by those words. This would also include using “they/them” pronouns instead of “she/her” pronouns.
In addition, the inclusion of “nonbinary” applicants would simply mean men who identify nebulously would be allowed admission to the Massachussetts college.
Wellesley, which boasts such alumnae as former Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Madeleine Albright, currently accepts women who “live as women and consistently identify as women” as well as women who “were assigned female at birth and who feel they belong in our community of women.”
However, according to a March 6 letter from college president Paula Johnson, “Wellesley admits applicants who identify and live consistently as women, regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth.”
“Wellesley is a women’s college that admits cis, trans, and nonbinary students—all who consistently identify as women,” she continued. “Wellesley is also an inclusive community that embraces students, alumnae, faculty, and staff of diverse gender identities.”
Johnson voiced opposition to the passage of the non-binding referendum, saying Wellesley’s mission as a women’s college is too important.
Her letter titled, “Affirming our mission and embracing our community,” said, “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.”
“Events of the last few years — including a pandemic that has had a disproportionate economic impact on women, especially women of color, new restrictions on reproductive health and freedom in the United States, and attacks on women’s rights and education across the globe — have shown that this mission is as urgent as ever,” she continued.
Students have been attempting to expand the college’s admissions for some time, with a 2021 staff editorial in the student paper arguing “We’re not all ‘Wellesley Women’ anymore.”
Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.