The Rutgers Center for Minority Serving Institutions (CMSI) and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) released a report analyzing ways historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have fostered inclusive environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) students on their campuses.
Titled “Modeling Inclusion: HBCUs and LGBTQ+ Support,” the report highlighted health and wellness, housing, student life and admissions policies at institutions such as Spelman College, Morehouse College, Bowie State University (BSU), Howard University and North Carolina Central University (NCCU).
“We do not want people to conclude that schools are now, for the very first time, creating inclusive policies and adopting inclusive practices,” said Alphonso B. David, president of HRC. “Many of these colleges and universities have been advancing LGBTQ+ inclusive policies for a number of years and we want to make sure we highlight that for other HBCUs.”
In 2017, Spelman, an all-female HBCU, changed its admissions policy to allow transgender women to enroll. Under the updated guidelines, the college will “consider for admission women students including students who consistently live and self-identify as women, regardless of their gender assignment at birth,” according to the report.
A few years later, Morehouse, an all-male HBCU, introduced its intent to admit those who “self-identify and live as men.” However, students who transitioned while enrolled at the institution faced expulsion.
The policy has since changed.
“If an enrolled student begins to self-identify as a woman, [Morehouse] will offer guidance and resources to assist in making choices that are best for that student,” according to the report.
