The Duke's Men Of Yale Lift Gender Restrictions
The Duke's Men Of Yale Lift Gender Restrictions
The formerly all-male a cappella group The Duke's Men of Yale released a statement on Thursday lifting "gender restrictions" on their group.
The formerly all-male a cappella group The Duke's Men of Yale released a statement on Thursday lifting "gender restrictions" on their group.
"It's something we've been thinking about all year," musical director Jerome Walker told FloVoice. "It feels like the right thing for us to do right now and the right thing for our campus. We've gone too long without extending an explicit invitation for trans and non-binary folks to be a part of our a cappella community, and there's no better time for us to extend that invitation than now!"
"Now, 65 years after our group's founding and nearly 50 years after Yale became coeducational in 1969, we recognize just how much this campus has changed. It has evolved beyond coeducation, and a diversity of gender identities are represented in our present community.
"But despite all this change, our group has always looked for exciting and talented singers to join the Duke's Men. Being able to sing our repertoire as it currently exists or participate in our community is not contingent on a person's biological sex or gender identity.
"It is a disservice to our group and our community at large to audition along gendered lines. Therefore, starting in fall 2017, the Duke's Men of Yale officially remove any gender restriction from our audition process and welcome all students to audition for us, becoming an all-gender TTBB group.
"We invite the Yale community, and the a cappella community in particular, to examine the ways we include and exclude trans and non-binary people in our shared spaces. As we reconcile our traditions with our desire to foster inclusion, we recognize that this dynamic appears in the very name of our group. 'Duke' comes from the name of our founding sponsor, while 'Men' reflects Yale's status at the time as a single-gender institution.
"Our name has the potential to undermine our message of inclusivity, but it also represents a cherished group history. With the help of our alumni, we will continue to discuss which elements should stay as we become an all-gender group, and which should change. We also hope to work with the Yale Women's Center, the Office of LGBTQ Resources, and Trans @ Yale when we return in the fall to help us navigate this transition.
"Our goals, as always, are to continue to make music that is as fulfilling for us as it is fun for our audiences and to share our group year after year with new classes of eager and talented singers. As we enter our 65th year, we invite you all to continue our musical journey with us."
The announcement comes at the heels of several universities across the country that have either altered or considered changing their policies regarding single-gender groups and social clubs.
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"It's something we've been thinking about all year," musical director Jerome Walker told FloVoice. "It feels like the right thing for us to do right now and the right thing for our campus. We've gone too long without extending an explicit invitation for trans and non-binary folks to be a part of our a cappella community, and there's no better time for us to extend that invitation than now!"
Here's The Duke's Men of Yale's full announcement:
"The Duke's Men of Yale were founded in 1952 by four freshmen and sponsored by Basil 'Duke' Henning '32, then-'master' of Saybrook College, a full 17 years before Yale admitted female undergraduates. Since then, the group has offered nearly 400 members the opportunity to sing, travel, and shape its spirit and legacy."Now, 65 years after our group's founding and nearly 50 years after Yale became coeducational in 1969, we recognize just how much this campus has changed. It has evolved beyond coeducation, and a diversity of gender identities are represented in our present community.
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"But despite all this change, our group has always looked for exciting and talented singers to join the Duke's Men. Being able to sing our repertoire as it currently exists or participate in our community is not contingent on a person's biological sex or gender identity.
"It is a disservice to our group and our community at large to audition along gendered lines. Therefore, starting in fall 2017, the Duke's Men of Yale officially remove any gender restriction from our audition process and welcome all students to audition for us, becoming an all-gender TTBB group.
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"We invite the Yale community, and the a cappella community in particular, to examine the ways we include and exclude trans and non-binary people in our shared spaces. As we reconcile our traditions with our desire to foster inclusion, we recognize that this dynamic appears in the very name of our group. 'Duke' comes from the name of our founding sponsor, while 'Men' reflects Yale's status at the time as a single-gender institution.
"Our name has the potential to undermine our message of inclusivity, but it also represents a cherished group history. With the help of our alumni, we will continue to discuss which elements should stay as we become an all-gender group, and which should change. We also hope to work with the Yale Women's Center, the Office of LGBTQ Resources, and Trans @ Yale when we return in the fall to help us navigate this transition.
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"Our goals, as always, are to continue to make music that is as fulfilling for us as it is fun for our audiences and to share our group year after year with new classes of eager and talented singers. As we enter our 65th year, we invite you all to continue our musical journey with us."
The announcement comes at the heels of several universities across the country that have either altered or considered changing their policies regarding single-gender groups and social clubs.
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