Spelman College, a historically Black women’s college in Atlanta, has recently made a big announcement. The college took a major step towards a larger involvement and announced that it will accept trans students in 2018. This is a great improvement and an amazing step towards the acceptance for trans women and in particular, trans women of color. The latter are in fact among the most vulnerable populations in the entire LGBTQ community in the US.
The important announcement was made by Spelman College’s President Mary Schmidt Campbell on Sept. 5. Here is the announcement on the college’s shift of policy: “Spelman College, a Historically Black College whose mission is to serve high-achieving black women, will consider for admission women students including students who consistently live and self-identify as women, regardless of their gender assignment at birth.
Spelman does not admit male students, including students who self-identify and live consistently as men, regardless of gender assignment at birth. If a woman is admitted and transitions to male while a student at Spelman, the college will permit that student to continue to matriculate at and graduate from Spelman.” That’s a really big step forward for Black transgender women in the United States who deserves a higher education as much as any other human being. Good job Spelman College!