Students at Wellesley College in Massachusetts voted in favor of allowing all transgender and nonbinary individuals to apply to the women's-only school.
Currently, the school accepts transgender women and nonbinary individuals who "who consistently identify as women."
The ballot measure called for the school to "allow trans men and nonbinary people who were assigned male at birth to be accepted."
One of the Wellesley students who helped author the proposal said that a change of policy would better reflect what students are already experiencing on campus.
“Wellesley is not currently a women’s college. You interact with students of all genders every day," Ailie Wood told The Wellesley News. "Your classmates are trans and nonbinary, your favorite events are run by trans and nonbinary students."
Despite the measure passing, the school's president notes that it's "nonbinding and will not impact any of the policies or practices." However, Paula A. Johnson stated that the school is taking steps to better acknowledge that it serves a diverse community.
"Going forward, we will continue to advance our mission as a women’s college while acknowledging and celebrating our students’ diverse identities," she said. "We will also continue to listen to all members of our community, to ensure that all feel seen here at Wellesley.
