America’s only historically black, all-male college has announced a major admissions policy shift, taking in transgender men from 2020. However, Morehouse College in Atlanta says it will not allow transitioning females to attend.
In a statement titled ‘Morehouse College reaffirms dedication to educate and develop men,’ the school revealed on Saturday that it would “allow individuals who self-identify as men, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth, to be considered for admission” by the Fall 2020 semester.
The new policy, which it says came after more than a year of “community engagement with faculty, staff, students, and alumni,” won’t apply to students seeking admission before then.
“In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we’re proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of the greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business, and the arts for more than 150 years,” said Terrance Dixon, vice president for enrollment management at Morehouse.
However, the policy also goes on to outline that it won’t apply to individuals who identify as women, and that “if a student transitions from a man to a woman, that student will no longer be eligible to matriculate at Morehouse.”
The college, whose previous students include Martin Luther King Jr and Spike Lee, received some plaudits for the move on Twitter.