Petitioning Smith College
Smith College: End Trans Discrimination in Admissions
Petition by
Smith Q&A
http://www.change.org/smithadmissionsIn March 2013, Smith College, an undergraduate women's college in Northampton, MA, refused to consider the application of Calliope Wong, a transgender woman who attends high school in Connecticut, because she is trans*. Calliope identifies as female and was previously told by Smith's Dean of Admissions that her transgender status would not be a barrier to admission. Smith College's Dean of Admissions stated that Calliope's application was returned because of a gender marker inconsistency on her FAFSA, a federal student aid application.
Though this is the experience of one person, Smith's refusal to consider trans women as applicants reflects their discrimination based on birth assignment. This stands in contradiction to its mission as a historically women's college, which works to educate and support women of all experiences as part of its tradition of standing at the forefront of women's issues.
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Tell School Administrators That Trans Women Belong at Smith College
Friday, April 19, 2013 - 3:22pm by Dani Heffernan, Media Research Associate at GLAAD
http://www.glaad.org/blog/tell-school-administrators-trans-women-belong-smith-collegeSmith College is still refusing to make a firm commitment to change its policy of not accepting applications from some transgender women, despite several meetings with students and widespread support for making the process more inclusive.
Members of the student group Smith Q&A, which is working with GLAAD on this issue, say that several meetings have now been held with college officials, but no definitive change has been announced to Smith's admissions practices. It is more important than ever for trans advocates and allies to speak out and let the college know that trans women belong at Smith.
