The College Fix

Open to freshmen, may expand to upperclassmen in 2025

Georgetown University, a Catholic institution, announced plans to begin offering “gender-inclusive housing” to freshmen this fall after students passed a referendum calling for the change.

Now, when new students apply for on-campus housing, the university survey will ask about “gender inclusive” options, according to a “Residential Changes” announcement on its website.

“New students can indicate they identify as transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming individual seeking gender inclusive housing, or they are welcoming and affirming of LGBTQ individuals and wish to be considered as a potential roommate for students seeking gender inclusive housing,” it states.

The GU Student Association celebrated the new “gender inclusive housing policies” on its Instagram page, crediting its April referendum for the change.

“This initiative could not have been successful without the [overwhelming] support of the student body and members from GUSA, @gupride , @qpocgu and other organizations on campus,” the association stated in a June post.

The referendum, which passed the student body by 91 percent, called on the Jesuit Catholic university to “allow students to live with students of the preferred gender, allowing them to room in spaces most comfortable and supportive of them,” The College Fix reported at the time.

Georgetown mentioned the vote in its announcement, stating, “With the outcome of the referendum, undergraduate students affirmed the importance of this effort and the consideration of future steps to support a residential climate that is inclusive for all students.”

The change only applies to freshmen because most upperclassmen already have housing arranged by this time, according to the student association.

However, GUSA leaders stated they are talking with administrators about expanding “inclusive housing for all students with a goal of Fall 2025.”

The Hoya student newspaper reports:

[A] university spokesperson said Georgetown will aim to include a similar question on all undergraduates’ housing surveys during the next housing selection cycle.

According to a university spokesperson, the university currently works with students identifying as transgender, nonbinary or gender non-conforming to find housing options on a case-by-case basis.

“Georgetown University is committed to creating an inclusive, safe, and welcoming campus for all members of our community across all gender and sexual identities,” a university spokesperson told The Hoya. “Students have the right to be placed in housing that aligns with their gender identity.”

A Catholic institution, Georgetown’s mission is to provide “excellent undergraduate, graduate and professional education in the Jesuit tradition for the glory of God and the well-being of humankind.”

However, the university has faced pushback from some students and alumni who say it has strayed from its mission on issues like gender, marriage, and abortion.

The Catholic Church teaches marriage is between one man and one woman. It also teaches people cannot change their sex, and “any sex-change intervention, as a rule, risks threatening the unique dignity the person has received from the moment of conception.”

MORE: Georgetown students demand ‘gender inclusive’ housing

IMAGE: Anthony Blotkin / Shutterstock

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