Female student who exposed pro-trans policy discusses woke underbelly of all-women Catholic college

Why did an all-female Catholic college try to admit men pretending to be women?

Even Macy Gunnell, who led a boycott to stop the insanity, can’t explain the rationale at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.

“It may appear to be Catholic on the outside, but when you step on campus and look on the inside, it is not,” Gunnell told Chris Stigall, host of the Making the Leap podcast.

“They’re so emotionally driven that they are so focused on this mission of love and inclusivity that they would throw all rationality out the window, as long as it means they are doing the ‘morally right’ thing.” 

The controversy came to a head last November when Gunnell, a student employee in the admissions office, stumbled on a new policy allowing those who “consistently live or identify as a woman” to enroll.  

“Very long story short, we were able to organize a mass financial boycott, and we were able to get the policy reversed after about a month,” Gunnell recalled.  

Saint Mary’s was founded in 1844 as an all-women’s institution by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. 

But Gunnell says the university – and its students – have bought into modern ideology hook, line and sinker.  

“I can’t help but feel like it’s just societal pressure,” she told Stigall, adding that college President Katie Conboy “is a so-called feminist, by the way. That’s in her official bio. She was very much influenced by this social justice movement. 

“The students there [are] unfortunately very left wing as well. I mean, the school’s full of all these self-proclaimed feminists.” 

Stigall expressed disbelief that what appeared to be a staunchly conservative institution could be so woke.  

“I am fascinated that this is an all-women’s Catholic school, and you would say most of the young women that are enrolled there, you would call them woke, progressive, left-of-center?” 

“Yes, sir, very left-wing,” Gunnell replied. “All these girls are wanting to come to a school that promotes women and promotes the whole feminist ideals. Saint Mary’s just has slowly become known as a very left-wing, very social-justice kind of school.”  

Her experience fighting the woke mob at Saint Mary’s hasn’t deterred Gunnell from expressing conservative views. Instead, she’s joined The Heritage Foundation’s Young Leaders program and currently serves as president of her campus chapters of Turning Point USA and College Republicans.  

Though Saint Mary’s leadership gave ultimately gave in, Gunnell still thinks there needs to be a deeper examination of the school beyond its transgender policy.  

“I definitely believe that they should lose their Catholic accreditation. It’s not just the policy; every single day they’re bringing in these pro-abortion speakers, all these left-wing radical social-justice whatever – people actually making fun of conservatives.”  

The Making the Leap podcast is produced by The Herzog Foundation, which also publishes The Lion.