Moni's Headed To The ATX For Educate Out Loud!

As a proud teacher's kid, education issues are a part of my activist portfolio, and I am an unabashed supporter of public education. 

It's why I was pleased to accept the invitation of the organizers of this event to be the keynote speaker for Educate Out Loud!

It's a research and practice symposium that is dedicated to exploring and discussing issues related to TBLGQ+ people in  teacher preparation, higher education and in the field of education.

I can definitely talk about those issues with no problem. 

My keynote happens tomorrow at the Joe C. Thompson Conference Center on the University of Texas campus, so I'm headed to the ATX in a few hours so I can be there when it starts .

Hopefully I will see as many of you ATX peeps and conference attendees I know while I'm in Travis County. 

UH College of Medicine Building Plans Unveiled

The city of Houston has had since 1945 the world class Texas Medical Center that has grown to a 2.1 square mile complex of densely packed medical building and hospitals that do cutting edge cancer and other medical research.

The first college of medicine to be started in the state of Texas in nearly 50 years became closer to becoming a reality after a bill establishing the new UH College of Medicine passed both houses in the 2019 session and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott.

The UH College of Medicine will start classes in the fall of 2020 with the goal of 50% of its graduates engaged in primary care.   An anonymous $3 million donation that was announced in July 2018 will cover tuition for the entire inaugural class of 30 students.   Another donation from the John O'Quinn Foundation will cover a third of the second class, with enrollment expected to grow to 480 students over the next 8 years. 

It still has some major steps to pass before classes can start.  UH was recently granted permission in a unanimous vote of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) for the new Doctor of Medicine degree.   In December it will submit its application to the federal accrediting body for medical programs called the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME)

The university is finalizing a partnership with HCA Houston Healthcare, the largest hospital company in the nation, to bring a total of 389 new resident positions to the College of Medicine over its first six years.

Those new doctors will be needed and necessary.  Texas ranks an abysmal 47 out of 50 states in primary care physicians to population ratio, and the new medical school will be a major step towards rectifying that

Hopefully the new medical school will also take some time to teach their students about the medical needs of transgender patients, since we do have a large population of trans folks in the Houston metro area.    UH already has degree programs in nursing, pharmacy, optometry and social work, and the new medical school will be complementary to all those existing programs

“They clearly recognize the need for more primary care physicians in underserved urban and rural communities, and the University of Houston remains laser-focused on creating a new kind of medical school with an innovative curriculum to address the shortage," said founding College of Medicine dean Dr. Stephen Spann said in a statement

The school's four story 150,000 square foot building will be located on a 48 acre wooded plot of land just south of the main UH campus across from MacGregor Park along Martin Luther King Blvd the university purchased in 2008. 

Construction is slated to start in the spring of 2020 and be completed in 2022.

Welcome Back To School, 2019-2020 TBLGQ Students!

School is starting for many students in Texas this week, and later this month for Texas colleges and universities.   While this is the favorite time of the year for parents and the retailers enjoying their cash registers ringing from the just concluded sales tax holiday, the kids are lamenting the end of their summer vacations. 

The start of the 2019-2020 school year is upon us, and I'm wondering what kind of school year that will be for our trans kids.  While Cruella DeVos has been rolling back protections for our kids at the Department of Education level and looks for new ways to inflict cruelty on our trans and GNC kids from pre-K to graduate school, our trans and gender non conforming kids despite the obstacles continue to survive and in some cases thrive   

There are a few districts in Texas and other states that have policies that protect the humanity and human rights of trans students, teachers and employees.

You'll also as this school year plays out pass into the start of another decade of the 21st century during the winter break and the start of a presidential election year.

Bur during this first week, my thoughts are with our trans kids.   I'm definitely concerned about the ones who are about to start elementary school.  I'm also concerned about the ones making the jump from elementary to middle school since we elder all know how rough puberty was before adding trans issues on top of it. 

And with my 40th high school reunion happening next year, I'm thinking about our trans and gender non conforming kids who are either starting their freshman year in high school or beginning their senior year.

I'm also thinking about the ones who about to take that giant leap to college or our trans folks who are in grad school.   Major props also go to the trans people who are in law school or medical school with the goal of serving our community in the medical and legal professions once they finish. 

I have no doubts that like many of your trans student predecessors, you will not only accomplish your educational goals, but in some cases will make history along the way.   There are still schools that have never had a trans homecoming or prom king or queen.  I'm still waiting to gleefully write about that first out trans valedictorian or salutatorian.   The first out trans class president.

Some of you during the 2019-20 school year will unfortunately have to fight anti-trans bigotry along the way as you strive to get your educations.   Some of you who wish to participate in high school athletics will have to fight tooth and nail just to be able to compete while trans. 

Some of you will have to fight just to be able to wear clothing at prom or your graduations that reflects your true selves   But it's worth that battle for you to do so. 

Know that if you choose to fight for you human rights, your parents, your trans elders and our allies will help you fight that battle against the transphobes if that comes to pass.

As a TK, I'm exceedingly proud not only of our trans and GNC students, I'm proud of all you trans folks who teach, whether it be at the K-12 or collegiate level.  You have my utmost respect and love as you do the most important job in our society and educate our next generations.

Happy 2019-2020 school year, TBLGQ students!   Hope it turns out to be a wonderful. and memorable one for all of you 

ConGRADulations Trans Class of 2019

Now that we're in the middle of May, it's graduation time for many of the folks in our community who are getting that paper and the 'ejumacation' that is going along with it.

I wanted to take a moment to celebrate all you trans folks who are part of the Class of 2019 like my Louisville homegirl Amirage Saling    She's  not only receiving her degree in social work from the University of Louisville,  she also made a little history when she received the honor of carrying the Kent College of Social Work banner into the ceremony.

And just when you think Jazz Jennings couldn't be more awesome, now comes the news that she has been accepted to go to Harvard University in the fall!   Harvard Class of 2023 here she comes!

I also needed to show some love in this post to my BTAC forever King Sybastian Smith, who is also walking with his Georgia State University classmates and getting his degree.

Congrats to you as well Sybastian!   So proud of you!

Shout outs also go to you Trans Class of 2019 members who are moving from elementary to middle school, middle school to high school, high school to college, or college to postgraduate education.

Some of you like Charlie Baum, even made history while you were matriculating at your high schools..

Many of you Class of 2019 members have persevered despite enduring in some cases  unnecessary bullying and harassment aimed at you by parents, fellow students, teachers  and administrators   You continuing on your educational path will not only be a great benefit to yourselves personally,  but to our community.

ConGRADulations, Trans Class of 2019!   I salute you, and everyone who loves you also is celebrating the major milestone in your lives.  Can't wait to see what happens for all of you in the near future.

Morehouse College Opens Its Doors To Trans Masculine Students

Morehouse College in Atlanta since 1867 has been the only all male college dedicated to the education of African American men.  It has a long distinguished list of alumni that include the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr, Spike Lee,  Samuel L Jackson, ATL Mayor Maynard Jackson, former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson,  Julian Bond, and NFL referee Jerome Boger just to name a few.

Unfortunately, Morehouse College was on the Princeton Review's dubious list of Top 20 transphobic and homophobic campuses, and had been on it since the 1990's.  Morehouse alums have also been vocal about wanting action taken to remove their school from that list.

I have long complained about the fact that HBCU's need to get busy making their campuses more welcoming to Black TBLGQ students or lose them to PWA's who are way ahead of them in doing so.

Looks like HBCU's are finally waking up to the reality that Black TBLGQ people exist and aren't going away or back in the closet. 

Today the Morehouse College Board of Trustees approved a policy that would open its doors to trans masculine students beginning with the Fall 2020 semester.

“In a rapidly changing world that includes a better understanding of gender identity, we’re proud to expand our admissions policy to consider trans men who want to be part of an institution that has produced some of greatest leaders in social justice, politics, business and the arts for more than 150 years,” Terrance Dixon, the college’s vice president of Enrollment Management, said in a statement. 

 “The ratification of this policy affirms the College’s commitment to develop men with disciplined minds who will lead lives of leadership and service.” 

The currently enrolled 2200 students currently matriculating at 'The House' aren't affected by the new Gender Identity Admissions and Matriculation Policy.

Morehouse College President David Thomas took over in January 2018, and stated that he wanted to implement a formal policy covering transgender students.   The policy was developed after 15 months of community engagement that included faculty, staff, students and alumni as the result of a task force created by President Thomas.

Under the new policy, Morehouse's admissions doors are open to all persons who self identify as men, including trans masculine students. Trans women and people who identify as women are not eligible for admission to Morehouse.

If a person transitioned to female while enrolled at Morehouse, they are no longer eligible to study at The House.  Exemption to this rule must be granted by a three person panel appointed by Morehouse's president after an appeal by the affected student.

This policy is long overdue, and is welcome news for the trans community, Morehouse alums and our allies.  It's also a big step in recognizing the fact that Black trans people are Black people, and some of our Black trans masculine folks dream of matriculating at Morehouse College.

They made that dream a reality by approving this policy.

Fort Bend ISD Naming School For Malala

Fort Bend County to the southwest of Houston is one of the suburban areas, like Montgomery County to our north that has experienced explosive population growth since the 1980's.  The Fort Bend Independent School District has been on what seems to be an almost nonstop building program to keep up with it.

Even better, it turned blue because of that explosive growth in the 2018 midterm elections

A new elementary school, the 51st in the FBISD, is currently being built in the Aliana community in the northwest part of the district.   After asking the FBISD community to submit a name for the new school scheduled to open in January 2020, a committee comprised of FBISD teachers, parents, students, community advocates, staff and an FBISD board member went through the nearly 100 names submitted to choose the name of the new school.

The school will be named Malala Yousafzai Elementary School, and it is one as a TK I am definitely in agreement with.   The Nobel laureate has been a tireless advocate for public education.

“Fort Bend ISD is proud to name Malala Yousafzai Elementary in honor of a true advocate for education. Our FBISD Profile of a Graduate outlines the skills and attributes graduates should possess upon graduation from our schools. Through her compassion for others and servant leadership, Yousafzai is an embodiment of these characteristics, which we are trying to instill in our students. We look forward to hearing of the many successes of the school and its students in the future,” said Dr. Charles Dupre, FBISD Superintendent of Schools.
The name for the new school was approved during the December 17 FBISD board meeting

Malala and her father are currently on a trip to Australia, and when they heard the news, were quite pleased with it.

This is such great and encouraging news," said Malala's father Ziauddin Yousafzai.  "I'm very thankful for this.  It's an opportunity for young students to get inspiration."

"Malala's name is known globally and now, for a school to be associated with Malala's name, it just shows that the spirit of education is being wholeheartedly promoted," he added..

As for Malala's thoughts about the FBISD action, she conveyed through her father that she was "quite glad" and 'grateful to the Sugar Land community for helping spread her message of education for girls.

She garnered international attention at age 15 for surviving an Taliban attack on her while traveling home from school.   A year later in 2013 she delivered a highly publicized United Nations speech that urged world leaders to make education a priority.    Yousafzai became the youngest person ever to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014

The attendance zone boundaries for Yousafzai Elementary are currently being determined by the district.

As for whether the Yousafzai's will be in the Lone Star State when the school is dedicated, Ziauddin Yousafzai said, "I cannot make any promises right now, but should we receive an invitation and are in Texas or nearby, we would definitely love to attend and meet these amazing people.

Um, FBISD, y'all might want to get on that ASAP.

Transphobia An Unacceptable Part Of A VA Middle School's Mass Shooting Drill

Because mass shootings on school campuses happen far too frequently in the United States, one of the facts of life for students currently attending our public schools is active shooter drills.

One recent active shooter drill at a Stafford County, VA middle school had a unnecessary helping of transphobia injected into it   

During the drill, a trans feminine student was not only barred from going into either the boys or girls locker rooms by school staff, she was told by the PE teachers to sit alone in the bleachers and subsequently in the hall while the cisgender students in her physical education class were immediately sheltered in the nearest locker rooms and bathrooms.

This is outrageous on many levels.   An active shooter drill happens so that kids are taught the basic procedures necessary to survive an attack like getting to shelter quickly.   Any hesitation in doing so can be deadly.

The PE teachers in question not only outed the student by doing this, they basically made the problematic statement to the world that you considered the mere presence of this trans child in the student body to be more dangerous than some assailant who is gleefully shooting up a school.

You also left that trans student, through your transphobic actions, exposed had this been an actual active shooter situation. 

Stafford County Public Schools spokeswoman Sherrie Johnson said in a statement concerning this disturbing incident:

"Stafford County Public Schools does not comment on individual student incidents to avoid divulging confidential information. However, the new superintendent has requested a review of all protocols and procedures to ensure that all children are treated with dignity and respect. We take such matters very seriously and they will be addressed. The welfare of all students is of the utmost importance for SCPS."

Ms Johnson, unfortunately the teachers at the SCPS middle school in question failed to demonstrate during the drill that the welfare of this SCPS trans feminine middle school student was of the utmost importance to them,

When asked by reporters if the trans feminine girl should have been allowed into the girls' locker room because she identifies as a girl, Johnson said that all the policies, practices and safety procedures are under review.

The Virginia and national trans community will be watching to see if the SCPS policy review is not only expeditiously conducted, but what recommendations or policy adjustments come out of it that protect this trans child and others that happen to matriculate in this district 

Of course, news of what happened to the still unidentified trans child has pissed some folks off. 
People in the district and the Stafford County area are planning to attend the next scheduled Stafford County Public Schools board meeting scheduled for tomorrow night at 6:30 PM EDT to let the board and new Stafford County Public Schools superintendent Dr Scott Kizner have it.

One thing that needs to be repeatedly stated until it drilled into the heads of every employee and administrators in that district, is that a trans child's life is just as valuable as any cisgender kid. 

And that includes protecting their lives in an active shooter situation.

Have A Wonderful 2018-19 School Year, Trans Family!

The school year gets started for ten Houston area school districts including the Alief one I now live in tomorrow.   But the events in Achille, OK have me thinking about our trans kids getting ready to start school either tomorrow or over the next few weeks. 

And Maddie, you and your family are in our collective thoughts as you start the school year in Achille today.  We hope it gets much better for you as the year continues and those transphobic adults are punished. 

It also has me pissed about the move Secretary of Miseducation Betsy DeVos pulled in which they announced back in February they would not be acting on bathroom discrimination complaints filed by transgender students

But back to discussing this school year that is about to start.

Trans kids, your Aunt Monica wants you to know that you are not only loved by me and your trans elders, we will fight with every fiber of our beings for your humanity and your human rights.  We will also fight for your most important right of getting a quality education free from harassment by you fellow students or their transphobic parents

We will also fight tooth and nail for those of you who wish to participate in extracurricular activities so that those of you who have the ability and talent to excel in sports can do so.

So run for class president.   Try out for whatever team you wish.  Run for homecoming or prom king and queen   Run for cheerleader. because we trans elders and our accomplices will be solidly in your corner rooting for your success.

We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you are left alone to handle your education business, you will excel and thrive because you are #TransExcellence personified.

Also keep in mind that standing up for you trans selves can also lead to human rights advances for our entire community.

While we are in a tough environment to grown up trans, we have gone through far worse periods in our history as trans people and survived it.  This Trump misadministration will eventually go away as you elder work to make him a one termer.   Also keep in mind that your best revenge against the folks who hate you is to hold your head up high, be unapologetically proud of being trans, and be better students and human beings than they are.

As this 2018-19 school year begins, I'm looking forward to seeing and writing about the historic trails you will blaze over the next few months that inspire me to work harder to be a better role model for you. 

No matter what happens in this 2018-19 school year, know that we unconditionally love you and are rooting for your scholastic success.  Your trans elders and I also hope you have a school year as wonderful and fabulous as we know you trans kids all are, whether you're starting pre-K, elementary school, middle school, high school, college or graduate school.

Have a wonderful 2018-19 school year, trans family.
 

A Historic Graduation For Keo!

Needed some positive news to talk about after writing about several trans murders, and this is coming from the ATL

Since Spelman changed their policies to allow trans people to matriculate on their campus,  been wondering when would witness our first trans graduate from the first liberal arts college for African American women. 

Turns out it's May 2018. 

Meet Keo Chaad O'Neal.   It's apropos that the 21 year old O'Neal is graduating with a degree in history because he is making it as the first openly trans masculine graduate of Spelman College.   

When the South Plainfield, NJ native first enrolled on the Spelman campus he identified as non binary and used they/them pronouns.    While O'Neal loved Spelman, he didn't feel at the time he would be able to become themself, so O'Neal transferred to a predominately white institution (PWI).

While at the PWI, O'Neal transitioned, grew and developed on that campus, but missed Spelman.

"I came back to Spelman in my junior year because although I could flourish in my queerness, I felt like I was denying my Blackness.  I was nothing more than a body to those folks," O'Neal said.

O'Neal returned to Spelman for his junior and senior year  and says he faced some backlash from current students, their parents and alumni.    He came out during a on campus convocation for Spelman aluma and author Alice Walker who was visiting as ana artist in residence. 

As to what is next for O'Neal.  While he has been accepted into a PhD program in the fall, he wants to take a few years to establish himself before returning to school.

While it was a tough two years, he also had a message for his supporters.

"I could not have made it this far without the encouragement of others, O'Neal said. "It truly takes a village.  For everyone who played a part in my successes, this is a win for all of us."

And in a week full of bad news for our trans community, it's a win we sorely needed.

Congratulation Keo! 

Black Community Anger Explodes At HISD Board Meeting

Not surprised about hearing that the almost two decade long pissivity that Houston's Black community has with the HISD school board finally boiled over last night.

Since 2000, many of the school campuses that HISD has been closing or selling off to charter school outfits have been in Black and Latinx neighborhoods. 

There has also been over the last two decades in HISD  the stripping of or killing of successful magnet programs housed in  Black and Latinx schools, like my high school alma mater Jesse H. Jones which used to host until 2002 the district's Vanguard gifted and talented magnet high school.

Black and Latinx HISD have also chafted as they see HISD schools in predominantly white neighborhoods not only stay open, but get funded, new magnet programs and new school buildings built as Houston Black and brown neighborhoods increasingly get charter schools or see longtime neighborhood schools close..

That pissivity with an HISD school board that ironically is primarily nonwhite and female led boiled over as a proposal to let a charter school outfit, Energized for STEM came up for a vote.

Energized for STEM has some controversial leadership in NAACP Houston President James Douglas and former HISD board member Paula Harris, in whose former HISD trustee district many Black schools were closed

That plus a Black community fed up with our school being the ones repeatedly put on the chopping block led to HISD school board president Rhonda Skillern Jones ordering HISD and HPD officers to clear the packed auditorium at the Hattie Mae White Education Center.   One woman was dragged out of the room while Houston Rising';s Kandice Webber was arrested for as observers claimed merely clapping her approval at what another person said.

Haven't heard as of this writing if she has been released, and after the board went into a closed door session, the decided not to vote on the controversial proposal to hand over 10 low performing predominately Black schools to the charter outfit.

Stay tumed because this saga isn't quite over yet.

Moni's Talking Trans Issues At TSU

So how did I spend my Valentine's Day afternoon and early evening?  Discussing transgender issues to a class at Texas Southern University.

One of the things I've wanted to do for years is have more conversations about trans issues on HBCU campuses.  I was thrilled to get an invite from Dr Rockell Burton to do just that for her graduate level Gender and Communications class.   

It's just ironic it happened on Valentine's Day.

Three graduate level classes were combined to hear yours truly talk about trans issues from a Black perspective, and thanks to Dr Burton for the invitation so I could be on The Yard for it

One of the points I wanted to leave with the students in that class was that Black trans issues are Black community issues.   I also wanted to make the point that trans men are men, trans women are women, and our Black trans lives need to matter to the cis Black community because we are an intertwined part of the community..

Looking forward to the next time and next conversation we have

45th Anniversary of School House Rock

Back in 1973 as my brother and I, and later my sisters watched Saturday morning cartoons on ABC, some of the advertising breaks were taken up by the Emmy Award winning educational cartoons that later became known as Schoolhouse Rock.

It ran on ABC from 1973-1985, and then was revived for a second run from 1993-1999. 

Those musical education cartoons that dropped knowledge on math, science, grammar and history have become so beloved that I and a lot of peeps own them on DVD.

I bought the 30th Anniversary DVD in 2009 when I lived in Louisville, and when I purchased it, Dawn Wilson and I spent several hours watching them and singing along to our fave ones like 'Conjunction Junction', 'Interplanet Janet',' Suffering Until Suffrage', 'Three Is A Magic Number' , 'Interjections! ' , A Noun Is A Person Place or Thing  and 'Hey Little Twelvetoes'  as the rest of our roommates and friends watched us with bemused looks on their faces .

Of course, as you probably guessed, the political junkie in me loves 'I'm Just A Bill'  which explains the legislative process an has been parodied by Saturday Night Live to lampoon 45.. 

But I was also in love with the 'Verb; That's What's Happening' one as well because it was one of the few in the original series of School House Rock videos in which the main protagonist looked like me.



So happy 45th Anniversary School House Rock!.   Those videos helped a lot of kids get to math, science, grammar and history tests. 

Trans Man Named As A Rhodes Scholar!

If you are named as a Rhodes Scholar, you have achieved something academically that few people in this country and around the world accomplish in getting one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world/

Only 32 American college students every year are named to receive a Rhodes scholarship, which covers all expenses for two to three years of study at Oxford University in England starting next fall..

The US 2018 Rhodes Scholars awardees were named recently and for the first time in the US, an out trans man was among the 32 people named to receive one.  There were also ten African Americans named, the most in a Rhodes Scholar class ever.

Thanks to Marisa Richmond for alerting me to this latest amazing nugget of trans history and sterling example of #TransExcellence.

Calvin Runnels is a senior biochemistry major at Georgia Tech University from Baton Rouge, LA.  He is not only is maintaining a 4.0 GPA, but has also become the second out trans person ever to be named a Rhodes Scholar. 

"I was absolutely floored when they called my name," Runnels said in a Georgia Voice interview.  "I had been steeling myself to congratulate two of my new friends from the other 13 finalists --— all of whom, I think, would have been exceptionally deserving of the scholarship.  Most of all, I'm excited to get to know the other 31 Rhodes scholar-elects who received the good news yesterday, as well as all the other scholars from around the glob; I think we all have an incredible amount to learn from each other."

Pema McLaughlin was the first out US trans person to become a Rhodes scholar, and that happened according to the Rhodes Trust in 2016.  Other famous American Rhodes scholars are former President Bill Clinton, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), former UN Ambassador Susan Rice,  ABC This Week host George Stephanopoulos, singer Kris Kristofferson and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.

Runnels is not only a well rounded student at Georgia Tech, he's also keeping being named a Rhodes Scholar in perspective.

“What I think it means, and the way I’m trying to frame it in my mind, is that I don’t want to view getting this scholarship as my peak accomplishment of my life,” he said. “I want to think of it as an affirmation of the things I have done so far and also as a call to duty to make a difference in the world and try to do great things from here on.” 

Runnels is planning to study for a doctorate in biochemistry, and it will be interesting to see what transpires in his life post Oxford..

Spelman Will Finally Admit Trans Women!

In the wake of what happened to Calliope Wong at Smith College when she attempted to enroll at that school, I asked the question back in 2013 on the blog when Spelman would admit trans women, and if they did, how would they handle the situation Smith fumbled badly at the time if a qualified Black trans feminine identified student wished to enroll there?

Now I have a definitive answer to that question.  Spelman would enroll that trans feminine student, and they will start doing so during the fall semester of the 2018-19 school year.

Spelman is the elite women's college in HBCU academia, and I believed back in 2013 it would inevitably come to the decision to open their doors to trans women who in the words of President Mary Schmidt Campbell, 'consistently live and self-identify as women, regardless of their gender assignment at birth.'

So what that means is if my trans nieces Trinity and Ellie wish to consider attending Spelman, they have the option when it's time to choose a college and have the grades to do so, can add that school to their collegiate wish list.

According to a letter from President Campbell released to Spelman students, Spelman has had a task force composed of students, faculty, staff, trustees and alumnae have been discussing the issue since last semester.

As for those of you asking how this policy impacts trans men, as a women's college dedicated to serving high-achieving Black women,  it doesn't not admit folks who consistently live and self identify as male as Spelman students.

The exception to this is if a trans masculine person transitions AFTER they have been accepted and enrolled at Spelman as a female student.  They will be allowed to continue pursuing their degree on campus and graduate from Spelman.

President Campbell in the letter also called for an implementation committee to be empaneled to consider how the new admissions policy will affect the Spelman campus community.

As you probably guessed, the transphobic Hateraid already started flowing from the ignorant corners of the Black gossip blogosphere, but the decision is being met elsewhere with generally positive commentary.

And so happy that Spelman has joined Bennett College, the other HBCU dedicated to educating Black women,  in opening their doors to qualified trans feminine students.