In 1870, Sophia Smith, the wealthy heir of a Massachusetts farmer, donated $400,000 to start Smith College (four hundred grand in 1870’s dollars – the woman had some serious ching). It would become the first female college founded by a woman in the United States. In her will she stated, “I hereby make the following provisions for the establishment and maintenance of an Institution for the higher education of young women, with the design to furnish for my own sex means and facilities for education equal to those which are afforded now in our colleges to young men.”
Given the wording of her will and sincere passion to see women able to attain higher education, it’s entirely possible the current administrators of the college she founded may have the woman rolling over in her grave. Now, nearly a century and a half after her death, her beloved institution has announced that it will begin admitting men. But not just any men – only men who identify as women. But in a bizzaro twist in the world of reasoning the school will not admit women who are actually women – if they identify as men.
From its own Admissions Policy Page:
Are trans women eligible for admission to Smith?
Applicants who were assigned male at birth but identify as women are eligible for admission.
Are trans men eligible for admission?
Smith does not accept applications from men. Those assigned female at birth but who now identify as male are not eligible for admission.
Under this newly clarified policy, what is required of applicants to be considered for admission?
Smith’s policy is one of self-identification. To be considered for admission, applicants must select ‘female’ on the Common Application.
Are applicants who identify as genderqueer or gender non-binary eligible for admission?
Our focus on women’s education means that we consider for admission applicants who identify as women and who seek entrance into a community dedicated to women’s education.
What is the impact of this decision on students who transition during their time at Smith?
The admission policy does not affect students who transition during their time at Smith. Once admitted, every student has the full support of the college and this includes transmen. And any student who completes the college’s graduation requirements will be awarded a Smith degree and welcomed into the Alumnae Association of Smith College.”
Not everyone affiliated with Smith is pleased. “A theoretical deconstruction of the social category ‘woman’ such that anyone and everyone can identify as a ‘woman’ does not reflect the historical purpose of Smith College or the needs of its students,” one Smith graduate wrote to the school’s Board of Trustees. “Being a woman is not a spiritual or metaphysical experience. It is not a feeling and it is not a performative utterance. Being a woman is a lived experience with material consequences.”
To assist in clarification Smith issued a detailed FAQ with its news release which is also available on its website stating, in part, “Smith College’s mission — to educate women of promise for lives of distinction — remains unchanged. The board’s decision reaffirms this mission in light of society’s evolving understanding of female identity.”
Will the school admit women who identify as men? No. “Smith does not accept applications from men. Those assigned female at birth but who now identify as male are not eligible for admission.” Perplexing, isn’t it? They claim that its mission to “educate women” only “remains unchanged.” Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you’re educating men, doesn’t that change the mission some?
It all boils down to the new reality the left in America is selling us – you are who you say you are. If you identify as a female – you are one. If you identify as a Native American or other ethnic-minority – you are one.
So the new (alter) reality at Smith College and many other institutions is this — if you were born with a penis (thereby making you a male) and you identify as having a vagina (though you really don’t) that makes you a female and you may be admitted to Smith. But if you were born with a vagina (thereby making you a female) and you still have one but you identify as having a penis (though you really don’t) you cannot gain admittance to this “all-female” educational institution?
No longer should we call such individuals “gender-confused.” It’s the rest of us who are confused by all of this.
Derrick Wilburn is the Founder and Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives and American Conservatives of Color.
He is a sought after speaker/presenter, and is also a renown author and columnist, contributing columns and editorials to the Colorado Springs Gazette and Colorado Common Sense News. He can also be read nationally on American Thinker, Allen B. West and the Tea Party News Network.
His online videos may be viewed on the ACofC YouTube channel and he frequently delivers the Tea Party National Weekly Address.
