The decision was also influenced by an awareness that gender is fluid and that traditional notions of gender identity and expression can be limiting.
As a senior in high school, I took a weekend trip up to visit Mount Holyoke College. A good friend of mine invited me because it was the end of her freshman year and she was volunteering to work the graduation ceremony. I fell in love with the school. I decided to apply to Amherst and was accepted. But I decided not to attend because of the weather. At that time, I wanted warmer weather, so Atlanta was the place.
In Atlanta there are two all women's colleges, Spelman and Agnes Scott. Currently Agnes Scott accepts transgender students but Spelman does not.
If I were a transwoman coming out of high school, I would definitely apply to an all Women's College and once accepted would probably attend Agnes Scott. Agnes Scott has a beautiful campus and is within walking distance of Downtown Decatur. Downtown Decatur is experiencing a fantastic renaissance. The bonding within a same sex school is amazing and will last a lifetime. Depending on what grade I transitioned, that female bonding would be very important for the development of my womanhood.
My sister went to Spelman College in Atlanta and its impact on her educationally (now a doctor) and socially (great friends 35+ years later) was invaluable.
Below is a list of USA of Women's Colleges and their policy tort lack of policy toward transgender people (both men and women).
Agnes Scott College
Current Policy: Admits students who identify as female. De Facto, trans women admitted.
Alverno College
Current Policy: Does not formally admit trans women. Only mentions trans men in policy.
Current Policy: Does not formally admit trans women. Only mentions trans men in policy.
Barnard College
Current Policy: Trans women may be admitted on a case-by-case basis if all documents list them as female.
Bay Path University
Current Policy: Does not formally admit trans women, non-discrimination policy includes "gender identity."
Bennett College for Women
Current Policy: Does not formally admit trans women, non-discrimination policy includes "gender identity."
Bryn Mawr College
Current Policy: Admits trans women.
College of Saint Benedict
Current Policy: Admission of students is "limited to females." No definition of how status is determined. Non-discrimination policy does not include "gender identity" or "gender expression."
College of Saint Elizabeth
Current Policy: Non-discrimination policy includes "gender identity," states the college will not discriminate in admissions. No clarification on exactly how that applies to trans women seeking admission.
Converse College
Current Policy: Trans women not formally admitted. Non-discrimination clause does not include "gender identity." Transgender policy only mentions trans men.
Douglass Residential College of Rutgers University
Current Policy: Any student recognized as female by Rutgers University (which has recently made major policy changes regarding transgender students) may enroll in DRC. De facto, trans women admitted.
Hollins University
Current Policy: Admits trans women if they have all documents list them as female, and they have sex reassignment. Policy may be under current review.
Mary Baldwin College
Current Policy: Unknown, non-discrimination policy does not include "gender identity," and specifically mentions men are not admitted to the women's college.
Meredith College
Current Policy: Unknown, some unconfirmed reports trans women are admitted. Non-discrimination policy includes "gender identity."
Mills College
Current Policy: Admits trans women.
Mount Holyoke College
Current Policy: Admits trans women.
Mount St. Mary's College
Current Policy: Unknown, non-discrimination policy includes "gender identity."
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Current Policy: Unknown, non-discrimination police does not include "gender identity" but institution does have a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender merit scholarship. Who benefits from the transgender inclusion in the scholarship?
Pine Manor College
Current Policy: Unknown, but college publications indicate active transgender students and strong transgender viewpoint inclusion in the women's studies department.
Salem College
Current Policy: Admits "only women," and therefore insists that "transgender" need not be included in a revised policy. Refuses to define "women," so policy could mean anything. Policymay be under review.
Scripps College
Current Policy: Admits trans women.
Simmons College
Current Policy: Admits trans women.
Smith College
Current Policy: Trans women may be admitted if all documents list them as female. Calliope Wong was denied admission because of a mix of identifying documents.
Spelman College
Current Policy: Unknown, but Monica Roberts of TransGriot seems to believe that a black trans woman applicant would not be turned down as Calliope Wong was turned down from Smith.
Stern College for Women
Current Policy: Unknown, but unlikely. Six years later, and Stern is still grappling with a transgender professor with tenure.
Texas Woman's University
Current Policy: Admitted men to all undergraduate programs in 1994, but remains primarily for women. Still over 85% female, over 90% of graduates are female. Trans women are accommodated as female if they can provide two forms of identification with a female gender marker. New policy allows transgender students to use a preferred name over a legal name, and diplomas will reflect preferred name. Anti-discrimination policy includes "gender identity" and "gender expression."
Trinity Washington University
Current Policy: Unknown, non-discrimination policy doesn't even list "sex" or "gender," let alone "gender identity." Worth noting, because even most trans exclusionary women's colleges at least have "sex" or "gender" with a caveat about not admitting men.
University of Saint Joseph
Current Policy: The University of Saint Joseph is unique in having a non-discrimination policywhich includes "transgender status" and prohibits discrimination "in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and employment practices."
Wellesley College
Current Policy: Considers for admission those who identify as female and check female on the Common Application. De Facto, admits trans women.
The Women's College of the University of Denver
Current Policy: Unknown, non-discrimination policy includes "gender identity" and "gender expression." As a college of DU, situation may be similar to the DRC at Rutgers.
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