Female Student Wants to Be Mr. Yale

Amelia Earhart, Sally Ride, and . . . Jen Ivers?

Ivers is a senior Spanish major at Yale University who is making waves at the 308-year-old Ivy League institution. In February, she will be the first-ever female student to participate in the Mr. Yale contest, the Yale Daily News reports.

Ivers's residential college, Timothy Dwight, overwhelmingly voted for her to represent the dorm in the Yale College Council Mr. Yale competition. After originally rejecting Ivers's nomination, the YCC reversed its position and allowed the groundbreaking contestant into the campuswide competition.

Now don't expect Ivers to rock a dress at the competition. Ivers, who is openly gay, tells the Daily News that she prefers to dress in men's clothing. She doesn't identify herself as a man or a woman, the report says, and she doesn't believe gender should play any role in the pageant itself.

"Most people don't see me as falling within some sort of gender stereotype," Ivers tells the Daily News. "And you can't be friends with me if you can't get past that."

Ivers's campaign has the support of the campus LBGT Cooperative and—obviously—her dorm mates. And, after what the YCC calls a miscommunication, the council is excited to see Ivers compete for the coveted crown, too.

"I feel awful about that miscommunication," YCC Events Coordinator Mathilde Williams tells the Daily News. "It'll be really cool and unique to have her compete."

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