told you so

By Fr. Paul Mankowski, S.J. ( articles ) | May 05, 2003

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Are you paying attention, ICEL fans?

Smith College students earlier this month made a decision some might find mystifying: Although Smith is a women's college, the students voted to change the language of their student constitution so that the pronouns "she" and "her" would be replaced with gender-neutral terms. The vote applies only to student government documents, and not to official college publications, so none of the college's brochures will excise the female pronouns. The student government vote is an indication of a deeper issue facing Smith College, and other same-sex institutions, which is that a growing number of students identify themselves as transgender, and say they feel uncomfortable with female pronouns. "Smith College is a college for women, and within that there is a place for all kinds of women," said Brenda Allen, director of institutional diversity.