There are now five women’s universities accepting transgendered students; Mount Holyoke, Simmons College, Scripps, Mills College, Bryn Mawr, and finally Wellesley. Individual policy differences exist at each institution, but the general rule of thumb seems – if she identifies as a female, she IS a female and will be treated as such.
The tipping point seems to have been the clarification in May 2014 from the Department of Education (DOE)?who’stated that transgender students are protected under Title IX. The intent of Title IX was to enact a
“. . . regulation to protect people from discrimination based on sex in educational programs and institutions that receive federal financial aid.”
During an interview with NPR, Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, spoke on the significance of the DOE clarification,
“Well, it’s been really clear for a long time that it’s necessary that schools protect students from discrimination and from bullying and from sexual assault. And what the sexual assault guidance that was issued last week says is that the Department of Education agrees that Title IX prohibitions against sex discrimination includes discrimination against students because they are transgender. And that just sort of makes sense.”
Since then, many things have put our colleges and universities in the spotlight, but none so damaging as the recent spate of reports on campus sexual abuse.
“In ?The Hunting Ground,? which opened in theaters on Feb. 27, filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering investigate an?alarming pattern that has emerged in recent years. From small campuses such as Occidental College to the prestigious Columbia University and Notre Dame, academic institutions are facing a problem of how to handle sexual assaults that occur on campus.”
Today the spotlight has shifted from gender bias to racial bias with the viral video from Sooner territory and the SAE frat boys. No matter what the bias – inequality is wrong and should not be a part of our societal makeup. Until we join together and become one species – human -?we will continue to have a society ruled by the minority of closed-minded bigots.?Women stepping forward are a huge part of that equation.
With so many of?our campuses in the spotlight for bias and inequality of all kinds, it seems only natural to me that many would be stretching their wings in an attempt to increase their credibility in the equality department. For as many centuries as women have existed, they have been treated as ‘less’ by man. The reasons surrounding this are innumerable, but women are increasingly stepping up and saying “Enough!” It is working, one baby step at a time, but it is working.
