Wellesley Students Vote To Admit Transgender, Nonbinary Students

WELLESLEY, MA — Students at Wellesley College voted to expand admission to transgender men and nonbinary people. The college — a women's college of about 2,300 students — currently admits transgender woman and nonbinary students assigned female at birth but students sought to expand inclusivity.

The ballot, which was approved by students, also proposed that the college’s communications “replace all gender-specific language with gender-neutral language in reference to its student body," including saying “students” instead of “women” and using “they/them” instead of “she/her” pronouns, according to CNN, which obtained a copy of the ballot.

In response to the referendum, which passed, Wellesley’s Director of Media Relations Stacey Schmeidel said in a statement shared with CNN that “Although there is no plan to revisit its mission as a women’s college or its admissions policy, 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."

"Every aspect of Wellesley's educational program is, and will continue to be, designed and implemented to serve women and to prepare them to thrive in a complex world," the college wrote in an FAQ about its gender policy. "This singular focus on women is a critical part of the Wellesley education and the Wellesley experience."

The college previously changed its admissions policy in 2015 to allow transgender women to apply, and welcomed its first openly trans students in 2017, WBUR reported.

Still, more than 600 alumni, faculty, staff, and community members have signed a letter in support of the new ballot initiative, calling Wellesley's 'prioritization of cisgender women "a reductionary interpretation of its history and mission."'

"We assert that the best way to honor Wellesley's history is to allow the College to embrace the benefit of nearly 150 years of cultural, linguistic, and social change and fully embrace the trans and non-binary students who have always existed as integral members of the College community," the letter said.

In an interview with the Boston Globe Tuesday, Marty Martinage, a Wellesley junior who uses they/them pronouns, said they "hope the college recognizes that while they might think we are just young and further left students now, eventually we will be alumni giving to the school."

“If there is not a significant change in how they communicate with students, I’m worried about the future of the college," Martinage said.