Sweet Briar College in Virginia will exclude transgender women from admissions next school year, citing the legally binding will of founder Indiana Fletcher Williams. Williams died in 1900, and her will specifies that Sweet Briar "be a place of 'girls and young women.'"
The phrase "must be interpreted as it was understood at the time the Will was written," per Sweet Briar President Mary Pope Hutson. The new policy requires each applicant to confirm her birth sex is female and "that she consistently lives and identifies as a woman."
The new policy has sparked backlash from some students and a large portion of the faculty, who fear it may drive away potential students and tarnish the college's reputation. Critics argue the originalist interpretation of Williams' will is outdated and flagged the fact that it also originally specified the school was to be for "white girls." The college had to seek permission from a federal judge to accept Black students after the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Student Government Association President Isabella Paul, who identifies as nonbinary, described the policy as "alienating" and reflecting "the rise of transphobia in our country." The faculty overwhelmingly voted to urge the board to overturn the policy. Challenges to the policy may arise legally, though as a private college, Sweet Briar is exempt from Title IX regulations banning sex discrimination in education. The school has about 460 students. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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