By Cortney Harding
Wellesley Slights Transgendered Alum, Sparks Debate About What it Means to be a "Women's College"
Tim Chevalier was told by his alma mater that he would not be allowed to interview prospective students because his male identity would be a distraction.
May 20, 2011
http://www.alternet.org/rights/150982/wellesley_slights_transgendered_alum,_sparks_debate_about_what_it_means_to_be_a_%22women%27s_college%22All Wellesley alum Tim Chevalier wanted to do was help interview prospective students for his school. What he ended up doing was sparking a debate about transgendered graduates and the meaning of single-sex education.
When an email went out from the Oregon Wellesley Club last year seeking alums of the women's school to help interview prospective students, Chevalier expressed his interest. After a few exchanges with the local alumnae coordinator, Chevalier, then a graduate student at Portland State University, set up a coffee meeting and gave the coordinator a heads-up: although he had used female pronouns and a traditionally female name while attending Wellesley, he had since transitioned and is now male.
