Trans Men Can Now Attend Morehouse College

Morehouse College, the nation's only HBCU for men, will now accept trans men.

"In furtherance of our mission, tradition, and values as a men's college, and in recognition of our changing world and evolving understanding of gender identity, Morehouse will now consider for admission applicants who live and self-identify as men, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth," the Atlanta college said in a statement sent to alumni Saturday.

The new policy will begin for students enrolling in the Fall of 2020. Students enrolled prior are not subject to it.

The statement says the policy was developed over the course of the last 15 months of "community engagement" that included the school's LGBTQIA+ Faculty task force, as well as discussions and surveys with current students and alumni.

But when it comes to trans students who begin to self-identify as women while enrolled, the policy dictates that they "will no longer be eligible to matriculate at Morehouse" and will be forced to withdraw. Though exemptions to the rule may be granted, the student would have to go through an extensive appeals process.

Morehouse's decision follows that of other single gender schools like its sister college across the street, Spelman, who revised their policy to include "students who consistently live and self-identify as women, regardless of their gender assignment at birth" in 2017.

According to a Frequently Asked Questions linked along with the original statement, nonbinary and gender nonconforming applicants are eligible for Morehouse admission as well.

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