FtM Student At Women's-Only College to Have GRS

[Carolyn Marie]

Tough situation for the student, and the college. The college has the legal right to remain female-only. Does the student have an equal right to be his true self and remain on campus? What's your take?

http://campusprogress.org/articles/salem_college_considers_transgender_policy/

Carolyn Marie

[Guest LizMarie]

My view may be simplistic, but here goes.

He's going to take steps to become fully male. In my view, taking (and having taken) those steps, society should then recognize someone as their selected gender. But with that comes the responsibilities associated with that choice.

I believe he needs to leave the school, not just for the legal issues, but socially as well. He'll adapt and adjust better as just another guy at a college where he's registered and living in his chosen gender.

I also look at it myself. If I were to have transitioned (MtF but still...) in college, I would have wanted to get out of an all-male school into one where I could have been fully accepted as a female.

I do respect same-sex schools that choose to adopt policies that allow someone transitioning to stay but that's their choice and I think we, as individuals, have to also respect the choices made by such institutions when they decide to not allow someone transitioning to stay.

It goes without saying that any school should not discriminate against a student in terms of transferring to another institution. If a school denied credits, for example, because someone transitioned, they should be sued. But barring such acts, the mere choice to remain an all female or all male school should be accepted by the students, including transgender students.

[Guest Kelly-087]

Once he's legally considered male I don't think he has a right to stay there..

We can't have double standards, they make us all look bad.

[Guest (Lightsider)]

That is part of life...they have a right to have an all girls school. He needs to accept that and move on.

[Guest PeterP]

I believe that he needs to finish out his semester, since they will allow him to do so, and move on to a co-ed or all male school. The school has a right to continue its status as a school for women. As an FTM, I would feel very uncomfortable being the only male in a school for women. As I transition, I seek out men for companionship and as role models too. There are things I cannot learn about being a man from hanging out with women. I respect the fact that this young man may not have known that he was going to go through this process while still enrolled in an all girls school and, as such might not have thought the process through. But, speaking from my own experience, I knew what I was when I began my transition. When I chose a college, I chose one that was co-ed. I knew that my transition would make a few waves, but that I would not be discriminated against. In addition, it would have been very hard for me to explain to a prospective employer exactly why my degree came from an all girls school when I was presenting myself to him as male. Some of us want to just be seen as male and not trans to the outside world. The only people who really need to know my status is my family and whomever I take as a lover. Other than that, it's not public knowledge.

I would hope that this young man understands that it's not a personal thing and walks away to finish out his education elsewhere. He can start out there as the man he is becoming and leave his female form behind. I wish him good luck in his journey.

[Guest oblita]

I understand that he's a boy in a girls' school now. But remember that he's done nothing wrong, he has classes there and friends. Imo he shouldn't be forced to leave.

[Guest Maria_B]

He's a man, as such, can not attend all women schools. He can still mingle with those he shares friendships with outside of school, and nothing is stopping them for being friends.

[Guest Kelly-087]

I understand that he's a boy in a girls' school now. But remember that he's done nothing wrong, he has classes there and friends. Imo he shouldn't be forced to leave.

It would be special treatment for him to demand to stay there. We're not going to win ourselves a fair image if we are asking for special treatment due to our transitioning process, we should only be asking for equal treatment.

[Ravin]

The school is and should be within their rights to require him to leave at the end of a term. He could have chosen to delay transition until after graduation (a choice that isn't an easy one I realize), or he could have chosen to go to a different school in the first place. Once he changes his legal status, that should be it. At the same time, I think it's the change of legal status, rather than medical status of surgery or hormone treatment that should trigger--if he can wait a year or whatever for that part and just attend to the medical aspects of transition, that's a different question.

The other side of the coin should also be looked at when formulating policy. An MTF shouldn't be excluded if she's completed legal transition at the time of application to attend the school. Though with the religious aspect to the exemption, they can probably make their policy be whatever they want it to be, including total exclusion of transgendered students.