Elite boys school Prince Alfred College welcomes trans student

One of the nation’s oldest and most exclusive boys-only colleges will let a male student who has transitioned to female remain at the school.

A male student who has transitioned to female will remain at Adelaide’s prestigious Prince Alfred College, in a first for one of the nation’s oldest and most exclusive boys-only schools.

In a sensitive and complicated case, the South Australian institution – which is not co-ed and does not enrol female students – has decided that the Year 12 student, known only as Alice, can become its first transgender female student as she completes her final year of studies, according to a report by The Australian.

The newspaper reports the decision to stand by Alice has largely been student-led.

In a letter to families at the $28,200-a-year 1100 student-strong school sent out on Tuesday, principal Bradley Fenner explained the background to Alice’s story and why the school had chosen to break with 152 years of tradition by letting her become its first transgender student.

“This morning, a student, who has been at Prince Alfred College since the Early Learning Centre, has told her peers that she is transgender, identifies as a woman and henceforth will be known as Alice,” Mr Fenner wrote, as reported by The Australian.

Stream your news live & on demand with Flash for $8/month and no lock in contracts. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >

A male student who has transitioned to female will remain at Adelaide’s prestigious Prince Alfred College. Picture: James Knowler

PAC students, pictured here cheering on their football team last year, have reacted with “respect and support”. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“The response from the Year 12 cohort was, as we would have hoped and expected, both respectful and supportive.

“Alice has been dealing with gender dysphoria for some time and has been well-supported in her journey by a range of professionals, both within and outside the College.

“We are aware of some transgender PAC Old Scholars, but Alice is the first student to transition whilst at the College. It was Alice’s desire and preference to remain at Prince Alfred College and we support her fully in this.”

The school - which has 1100 students - has only ever been open to boys, only opening to a small number of girls during World War II.

Mr Fenner added in his letter that “issues relating to uniform and presentation” were currently being resolved so that Alice “is able to express her transition in that way”.

The acceptance of Alice, the Principal noted, was in keeping with the PAC mission statement valuing inclusion and the celebration of diversity.

“I believe it is a compliment to the College, our staff and students that Alice wishes to complete her schooling here,” he said.

“Whilst there will no doubt be some challenges along the way, Alice has felt very well-supported by those closest to her and the key staff involved.

“Our strategic plan commits us to ‘promote a culture of inclusion where diversity in all its forms is valued and celebrated’. Supporting Alice is a tangible demonstration of this commitment.”

Prince Alfred College in Adelaide was established in 1869.

Established in 1869, when the colony of South Australia was just 36 years old, PAC alumni include politicians such as former senators Cory Bernardi and Nick Xenophon, Holden founder Edward Holden, d’Arenberg winemaker Chester Osborn and Test cricketers Ian, Greg and Trevor Chappell, among others.

The PAC decision comes less than a year after one of Melbourne’s oldest Catholic boys’ schools, Xavier College, also supported the decision of one of its students to transition to a female and continue her studies.

Xavier principal William Doherty wrote to parents last April saying that while the matter of gender fluidity prompts a range of different opinions, the school aimed to respect “the dignity of each and every unique person”.

“After an extensive period of personal discernment, specialist advice and counselling, we note that a Year 12 student has today announced to the Xavier community her identity as female,” the letter stated.

“We welcome the opportunity of companioning her through this emotional and challenging time in her life, through her remaining at the College and into her life beyond at Xavier.”

The power for religious schools to discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or pregnancy was removed from the Federal Government’s controversial religious freedom bill in February – though it’s possible it may not come to the Senate before the election.