On Transgender Admission

Anyone with a compassionate heart would want transmen to have a safe place to grow into adulthood. The same can be said for any man who is a part of a minority group. However, a women's college is not the place for them to have this, as it comes at the expense of women. In the recent article in the Quarterly, ("Change in Time," winter 2016, page 16), absent were the voices of transwomen. Absent were the voices of all women who had chosen a women's college.

Yes, the times may have changed, but sexism is alive and thriving, and women deserve a place just for them. Let's bring the focus back to women. With men as part of the student body, my daughter will never have a chance to experience a women's education at MHC - and I had hoped that would be an option for her. My child may also be transgender. If so, when my child lets me know he has been mis-gendered at birth I will do everything possible to help him with whatever he needs to feel comfortable. (As I did with my niece when she transitioned and who could now apply to MHC as the young woman she is - thank you.) However, I hope to raise a child who understands the importance of women's spaces and would respect the women who choose them by not seeking them out if he no longer identifies as female.

I do, and will continue to, advocate for equality for transgender people. However, male-identified students (whether transgender or cisgender) at a women's college makes no sense and undermines the experience for the women who choose a women's college.

MHC is dedicated to educating women, and it seems we are losing focus through our efforts to be all things to all people - and on the losing end are the women who choose a women's college education and are no longer receiving it.

Trisha Falvey '93, via email