Morehouse College to Admit Transgender Men Starting in 2020

Board approves policy to accept trans men; College to assess campus facility, diversity training needs

The Morehouse College Board of Trustees has approved a Gender Identity Policy that will allow individuals who self-identify as men, regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth, to be considered for admission in the nation’s only historically black school for men.

The Gender Identity Admissions and Matriculation Policy applies to all students who enroll in Morehouse College by the Fall 2020 semester. All students who are enrolled before the Fall 2020 semester are not impacted by this policy.

The new policy was developed after 15 months of community engagement with faculty, staff, students and alumni led by a task force created by the president of Morehouse College, Dr. David A. Thomas. The president’s committee will now begin to assess campus needs to create diversity and inclusion programs, trainings, and facilities that will support the new policy.

“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. “The ratification of this policy affirms the college’s commitment to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service.”

Other details of the new policy:

• Once admitted to the College, all students are expected to self-identify as men throughout their education at Morehouse.
• If a student transitions from a man to a woman, that student will no longer be eligible to matriculate at Morehouse. Exemptions from this rule may be granted by a three-person committee appointed by the President after a written appeal is submitted by the student. In the event that the impacted student disagrees with the decision of the committee, the student may make a final appeal to the President of Morehouse.
• Trans women, or individuals who identify as women regardless of the sex assigned to them at birth, will not be considered for admission.