Brendan McDermid/Reuters
A transgender man named Yanna Awtrey, 21, has been suspended from his Christian college for getting top surgery, BuzzFeed News reports. Just hours after the procedure, Awtrey said he received an email from Welch College's Jon Forlines, vice president of student services, telling him he wasn't welcome back on campus. “Please be aware that because of the choices you have made we will not be able to allow you to come back to the dorm,” Forlines was quoted as saying. Awtrey was offered temporary housing at a hotel, but after posting on social media about the incident, the school emailed him again, telling him to edit the post or the school would withdraw the offer of a hotel. “I have nowhere to permanently stay, and I can't work for money for at least two months because of the recovery process,” Awtrey told Buzzfeed.
The college tried to force Awtrey to voluntarily withdraw from the school, he said, but he refused. The issue then went to a disciplinary committee, where Forlines cited the student handbook, which forbids “sexual perversion in any form.” The committee ultimately suspended Awtrey for two semesters, but he told the news outlet he does not believe he will be allowed back even after the suspension is up.