Historically Black All-Male College to Become Inclusive of Trans Men

Morehouse College, the only all-male historically black college in the United States, has joined those universities updating their gender admissions policy to include trans people.

“We found that when our admission representatives were going out, oftentimes people would ask them, ‘Does Morehouse admit transgender people?’” said the president of the college, David A. Thomas, as an explanation for the change.

The new policy will allow any students who self-identify as male to matriculate, beginning in fall 2020. Non-binary and gender non-conforming students will also be allowed to apply for enrollment.

However, transgender women will not be eligible to attend the university, and students who identify as male when they enroll and later identify as female will not be able to receive a degree from Morehouse.

“[Morehouse] is the only black institution in the United States that is dedicated to the intellectual and moral formation of black men and to allow trans women to enroll or matriculate or graduate from Morehouse would change the moral fiber of the institution completely,” former student Rashad Raymond Moore told The New York Times.

Morehouse College follows several other gender-specific universities updating their policies on enrollment over the last few years. The all-male St. John’s University became inclusive to anyone who lives and identifies as a man back in 2016, and women’s colleges Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, and Stephens College are among those that have moved to include transgender women.