Earlier this year I released an article concerning trans men at women’s colleges, and the difficult predicament that comes from attempting to balance the safety of trans people while preserving an environment for women. It’s important to remember that trans men at these schools aren’t just a “what if”, and they should be brought into the conversation as well.
In this article, I reached out to a few men attending Mount Holyoke to ask about their experiences at the school. For this article, I have reached out to two male-identifying students of Mount Holyoke: Cierson, 19, and Grace, 20. They both were able to bring their unique experiences as transmasculine students to the table in order to create a clearer picture of what the trans experience at Mount Holyoke is like.
A focal point of the last article was the question: why decide to attend a women's college? Cierson had several deciding factors. “I chose to go to Mount Holyoke because I feel safer in a place without cis men,” Cierson says. “I also liked the academics, and I got a big scholarship which helped make my decision because I needed the money.” Grace had some different reasons. “The main basis for me attending a women's college was the fact that I attended an all girls high school...After having such a fantastic high school experience at Immaculate Heart High School, I knew I wanted to continue a women-based education in college. In my senior year of high school is when I really figured out that I was trans masculine, but decided I was going to hide that fact if it meant not being able to attend Holyoke.”
Many of these same reasons were touched on in my previous article and make logical sense. For such a big monetary and timely investment as college is, it is incredibly important that one feels safe and comfortable. How is Mount Holyoke providing for its male students, however?
Cierson doesn’t believe Mount Holyoke is doing the best they can. “I don’t think the school supports me adequately.” He comments on the Health Center, saying that “it’s the worst place for trans people on campus...” due to its cisnormativity and lack of education on trans issues. ResLife also “... doesn't understand why I wouldn't want to be with a roommate” (and as a veteran of the ResLife committee, I myself can comment on some of the ignorant comments made by ResLife regarding these issues).
Grace says that while “...sometimes, I can feel the uneasiness of the staff and faculty...generally older people who may not be that familiar was trans issues…”, Mount Holyoke “...does a pretty good job of supporting me.” He was especially pleased with his orientation leaders introduced themselves with their pronouns at the beginning of the year.
What is the future for the transmasculine community at Mount Holyoke? Both Cierson and Grace had ideas on how to improve Mount Holyoke to be more accommodating.
Trans resources need to be improved on campus. Cierson believes that “...there needs to be major reform in the health center and ResLife to help trans people” and Grace thinks we need to “...get trans resources out there on campus. I know we exist (in an ever growing number) on campus, yet you rarely hear of events or public voices that represent the trans community.” Cierson firmly believes that there need to be more spaces for the trans community on campus: “It feels like there aren't enough spaces for trans people in general, and the administration doesn't want to make those spaces and doesn’t care about the safety and comfort of trans students...There aren't a lot of trans men on campus and so it’s hard to find a place.” Grace agrees, saying “[We should] create a group for trans folk. [Administration] has yet to figure out what to do with us - because of the reputation of the college as a women's college, they have done the minimum by acknowledging us and allowing us to attend, yet still have not given us a platform for fear that that would change Mount Holyoke's identity as a women's college.”
They both believe that increased education is another step that needs to be taken. “[There should be] mandatory education on trans issues for faculty and staff and also for students,” says Carson. Grace expressed a similar sentiment.
Mount Holyoke is changing as a school; there’s no denying that. With our new acceptance policy, we are starting to redefine what it means to be a Mount Holyoke student. What we need to see now is if Mount Holyoke is up to the challenge of moving with this dramatic shift into a more accepting, safer place. "The sooner we embrace the trans community and our new identity as a non-cis-male school," Grace says, "I think we can better understand one another and grow together."
