All Girls College Expands Admissions Policy to Embrace Transgender-Identifying Individuals
Saint Mary’s College, a Catholic women’s institution in Indiana, has recently revised its non-discrimination policy on its website to include transgender-identifying individuals, allowing them to seek admission to the college.
The updated policy explicitly states that the college “considers admission for undergraduate applicants whose sex is female or who consistently live and identify as women.” Notably, the inclusion of the phrase “live and identify as women” broadens the scope to encompass biological men who identify as transgender women.
President Katie Conboy sent an email to faculty, staff, and students notifying them that transgender-identifying students would be considered by admissions beginning in fall 2024.
The college justifies its policy by citing Title IV of the Education Amendments of 1972 and asserts compliance with anti-discrimination laws, specifically referencing Title IX. However, it’s worth noting that the Department of Education has previously clarified that Title IX exemptions apply to the admissions policies of private undergraduate colleges, which would include Saint Mary’s College.
This move towards a more “inclusive” admissions policy aligns with the broader cultural shift at the Catholic university. Saint Mary’s College has demonstrated a commitment to fostering a more culturally liberal environment, exemplified by the establishment of an LGBTQ+ Center. This center, according to the college, follows the college’s commitment “to create a culture of belonging and mattering by fostering an inclusive environment for all to experience acceptance.”
This isn’t the first instance where Saint Mary’s College has made decisions against conservative values. The college previously denied the charter request for a Turning Point USA chapter earlier this year. Despite multiple appeals, the college, through its Dean of Students, Gloria Jenkins, and Vice President of Enrollment, Lori Johnson, stated that the “style and content of Turning Point USA’s messaging around LGBTQ+ issues do not align with the mission and values of Saint Mary’s.” The two specifically cited TPUSA Live Feed articles about transgenderism, and a t-shirt in TPUSA’s merch shop that says, “Real men aren’t women.”
