Thank you for this post, JN. It's well thought out, honest, and important. The issue of Transmen on campus is becoming something of an old and tired issue for those of us in the Queer/GLBT community(ies). It seems to me that these men are gaining a louder and louder voice on campuses that are not designated for them. I don't believe the answer to all this is expelling a student who has transitioned from a women's college. I have heard the idea that women's colleges might be re-designated as safe spaces for the "gender-oppressed"-- ie. women and trans-people. However, perhaps our focus should be more on the inclusion of Trans *women* on campus -- we rarely hear of MTF women (that is, women who are biologically male and may still have male bodies) applying to women's colleges. I believe that Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges even have specific policies against non-biological women being admitted. And where would this leave female-identified intersex folks?
On another note, there is at least one out Trans rabbinical student that I know of (Reuben Zellman, who goes to HUC) and another whom I believe transitioned post graduation. It's clear that Jewish leaders as well as the Jewish community as a whole needs to increase its awareness of this issue in the name of pikuakh nefesh, community inclusion, and the pursuit of social justice.
Thank you for this post, JN. It's well thought out, honest, and important. The issue of Transmen on campus is becoming something of an old and tired issue for those of us in the Queer/GLBT community(ies). It seems to me that these men are gaining a louder and louder voice on campuses that are not designated for them. I don't believe the answer to all this is expelling a student who has transitioned from a women's college. I have heard the idea that women's colleges might be re-designated as safe spaces for the "gender-oppressed"-- ie. women and trans-people. However, perhaps our focus should be more on the inclusion of Trans *women* on campus -- we rarely hear of MTF women (that is, women who are biologically male and may still have male bodies) applying to women's colleges. I believe that Smith and Mount Holyoke Colleges even have specific policies against non-biological women being admitted. And where would this leave female-identified intersex folks?
On another note, there is at least one out Trans rabbinical student that I know of (Reuben Zellman, who goes to HUC) and another whom I believe transitioned post graduation. It's clear that Jewish leaders as well as the Jewish community as a whole needs to increase its awareness of this issue in the name of pikuakh nefesh, community inclusion, and the pursuit of social justice.