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Yale all-male singing group succumbs, will admit anyone regardless of ‘gender identity’

The Yale a cappella group Duke’s Men of Yale announced last week it will do away with all gender restrictions when it comes to auditioning for, and then possibly joining, its organization.

The Duke’s Men apparently has buckled to the “growing pressure” on the college’s all-male singing groups to admit women and “other students who do not identify as male.”

Yale’s elite Whiffenpoofs — to whom the Duke’s Men serves as a “feeder” group — thus far has managed to withstand that pressure.

The Yale Daily News reports the Duke’s Men decision was unanimous and had been under consideration since the Whiffenpoofs voted to remain all-male.

“There were some people who thought this was a bad idea, and a lot of people who thought this was a good idea, and a lot of people who were just worried and wanted to make sure we were prepared,” Duke’s Men Musical Director Jerome Walker said.

The group did not consult Duke’s Men alumni until after its decision, according to the report.

From the article:

The announcement by the Duke’s Men means there are now only six all-male a capella groups at Yale, the same as the number of mixed-gender groups. …

“The Whiffs’ explanation for not wanting to integrate is that they have a very long tradition and it would be hard to change their arrangements,” said Sarah DiMagno ’18, a member of the Singing Group Council. “The Duke’s Men has sort of refuted that by saying we can have our sounds and still admit women.”

In the statement, the Duke’s Men promised to maintain its current musical configuration — two tenors, baritone and bass, or TTBB — through the open auditions in the fall. But other aspects of the group’s single-gender history, including its name, may not prove to be sacrosanct, the singers wrote.

“Our name has the potential to undermine our message of inclusivity, but it also represents a cherished group history,” the statement said. “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.”

In its Facebook statement, the Duke’s Men was delightfully PC, saying “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.”

Although group alumnus Charles Johnson challenged “other a cappella groups to review their policies and ‘do the right thing,’” all-female groups aren’t specifically mentioned.

During the Whiffenpoofs brouhaha, several members of Yale’s all-women a cappella organizations defended the Whiffs, with one noting that “immediate [gender] integration would without a doubt negatively affect” her club.

Read the full YDN story.

MORE: Female, ‘gender nonbinary’ students continue to protest Yale all-male a cappella group

MORE: The really dumb reason this a cappella campus group changed its name

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Dave has been writing about education, politics, and entertainment for over 20 years, including a stint at the popular media bias site Newsbusters. He is a retired educator with over 25 years of service and is a member of the National Association of Scholars. Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.