Transgender man shunned by Baptist college to get new name

GALLATIN, Tenn. – A transgender man who was shunned by his private Tennessee college after getting breast reduction surgery has now returned to the state and plans to legally change his name.

The Tennessean reports it’s been two months since Yanna Awtrey left for North Carolina after having been essentially kicked out of Welch College, previously known as the Free Will Baptist Bible College. He had been suspended for two years over “sexual perversion” and was told he couldn’t return to student housing.

The unexpected upheaval left him with family friends who allowed him to stay long enough to recover from the August surgery.

He returned to Nashville last week, saying it feels like home despite everything. Awtrey started transiting this spring and has an upcoming court hearing to legally change his name.

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Information from: The Tennessean, http://www.tennessean.com