Changing With, Not For, The Times
On April 9, 2019 Morehouse College introduced the “Gender Identity Admissions and Matriculation Policy: EA 100.2.” perspectives on the policy has risen from both queer and non-queer students in the Atlanta University Center and many other faces in the Black community. Of all perspectives considered, few people have talked with Morehouse College alums to hear how they feel Morehouse approaching the situation.
“It’s not really as big of a step as people think it is,” Morehouse College class of 2016 graduate William McChriston said.
The gender policy essentially says that trans men will be eligible to apply to Morehouse during the fall semester of 2020. Morehouse will not allow anyone who is transitioning from man to woman continue matriculation but exceptions to the rule will be monitored by a small committee and the school’s president — if needed.
The policy appears solid on a first read through, yet blemishes become more clear when observing the language used. There’s too much contradiction in the policy which raises question about the policy’s intentions.
“It’s irresponsible and also unrealistic.” Morehouse College class of 2018 graduate Da’Shaun Harrison said. “If you’re building a policy that explicitly states that some students won’t be eligible to continue, then what’s the point of having an appeal process. It puts stipulations on trans-men.
“It says only certain types of trans people can exist in certain spaces and cisgender people get to make the important decisions for trans people that could affect their future.”
One of the quieter problems with the policy is the lack of representation of people who wrote and make the decisions about admitting trans students. For Morehouse to make a policy that targets queer identifying students and students who transition during matriculation, there only seemed to be cisgender men creating the policy. Where decisions are being made by groups who can’t identify with the people it effects, then the decisions don’t have the best intentions for those people. The policy appears to have been made to show acceptance without practicing it.
“Morehouse is saying, ‘You’re different so you don’t belong here,’” Morehouse College’s 87th Student Government Association President Kamren Rollins said. “This is different from a transpolic problem, this is about the acceptance of Blackness.”
“I’m disappointed with my institution”, Rollins said.
Even if the policy were to be air tight in theory, execution is another thing to consider. Morehouse’s gender policy expects to be functioning by Fall semester 2020. the policy gives no clear plan for how it will ensure student safety or educate students and faculty about gender politics.
“We need to focus on implementation,” Rollins said. “Tran students are often the most marginalized. It’s more than emphasizing uplift and resources for transitioning students, but are other students informed about the lifestyles of trans-students?”
Deciding to accept trans men is a good first step for Morehouse, yer when those students arrive how will they be treated? This policy won’t erase homophobic and transphobic ideas ingrained in students and staff. Without a plan for executing safety, gender education training and reliable safe spaces for queer students, then the policy is just presentation without purpose and pretense of attention to identity politics.
“This proves to me Morehouse isn’t engaging transwomen as human beings,” Harrison said. “They’re engaging with them like political points and dollar signs in an attempt to add progressiveness to an archaic system.”
Some alums disagree with Morehouse’s gender policy, because they don’t believe it translates the correct message neither queer students nor cisgender heterosexual students. Historically Black Colleges and Universities were built as safe spaces for Black people. HBCUs are supposed to protect and safeguard Blackness at all costs.
“Seeing the lack of love, hep and aid Black communities have, HBCUs were built to go against that,” Rollins said. “To have a policy that contradicts the idea Morehouse preaches is disheartening at best. This policy isn’t rooted in love.”
Morehouse should be changing with the times, not for the times. Black Students should not have to jeopardize safety, respect, acceptance nor self-expression to attend colleges and especially not for colleges made for Black students. Morehouse should take the perspectives of queer and transitioning bodies to both acknowledge and understand how acceptance looks and feels for them. Otherwise, any policy created is a disservice to the people it intends to accept.
