Sweet Briar College cites more than 120-year-old will to bar transgender women

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

AN ALL-WOMEN’S COLLEGE IN VIRGINIA IS OUT WITH A NEW ADMISSION POLICY– BARRING TRANSGENDER WOMEN FROM ENROLLING NEXT SCHOOL YEAR– CITING A DOCUMENT FROM MORE THAN 120 YEARS AGO.

SWEET BRIAR COLLEGE’S PRESIDENT AND CHAIR OF THE SCHOOL BOARD MARY POPE HUTSON SAYS THE RULE STEMS FROM THE LEGALLY BINDING WILL OF ITS FOUNDER, WHO DIED IN 1900.

THE DOCUMENT REQUIRES THE SCHOOL TO “BE A PLACE FOR GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN.”

HUTSON WROTE IN A LETTER THE PHRASE “MUST BE INTERPRETED AS IT WAS UNDERSTOOD AT THE TIME THE WILL WAS WRITTEN.”

THE POLICY REQUIRES APPLICANTS TO “CONFIRM THAT HER SEX ASSIGNED AT BIRTH IS FEMALE, AND THAT SHE CONSISTENTLY LIVES AND IDENTIFIES AS A WOMAN.”

THE NEW RULE IS SPARKING CRITICISM.

MANY FACULTY MEMBERS FEAR THE GUIDELINES WILL HURT ALREADY DIMINISHING ENROLLMENT NUMBERS.

WOMEN’S COLLEGES HAVE SEEN A DECLINE SINCE THE 60S AND SWEET BRIAR NEARLY SHUTTERED IN 20-15 DUE TO FINANCIAL PROBLEMS AND FALLING ENROLLMENT.

OPPONENTS ALSO CITED THE BOARD’S ORIGINAL INTERPRETATION OF THE WILL, WHICH EXCLUDED NON-WHITE STUDENTS.

THE INSTITUTION HAD TO GET PERMISSION FROM A FEDERAL JUDGE TO ACCEPT BLACK STUDENTS AFTER THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT IN 1964.

FACULTY VOTED OVERWHELMINGLY MONDAY TO RESCIND THE POLICY– AND THE COLLEGE’S STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION RECENTLY CALLED THE POLICY “ALIENATING” AND UNNECESSARY.

THE ASSOCIATION’S PRESIDENT SAID AT LEAST 10 PERCENT OF STUDENTS USE DIFFERENT PRONOUNS AND WOULDN’T FIT WITHIN THE NEW POLICY. 

IT’S UNCLEAR HOW THE ADMISSION RULES WILL IMPACT CURRENT STUDENTS. 

THE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT RESPONDED SAYING THE COLLEGE WORKS TO “ENSURE” ALL STUDENTS FEEL WELCOME.” ADDING, A “BROADER POLICY IS A SLIPPERY SLOPE TOWARD CO-EDUCATION.”

WOMEN’S COLLEGES BEGAN TO ADMIT TRANSGENDER WOMEN AROUND A DECADE AGO. AT LEAST THREE NOW BAR TRANSGENDER WOMEN– PRIVATE UNDERGRADUATE COLLEGES ARE EXEMPT FROM TITLE NINE (IX). SO, SWEET BRIAR ISN’T REQUIRED TO FOLLOW NEW RULES FROM THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, BANNING DISCRIMINATION BASED ON GENDER IDENTITY.

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M LAUREN TAYLOR.