In The Crimson’s recent feature outlining allegations that the semi-secret John Adams Society has become all male, an anonymous woman who was rejected by the group states that the exclusion sends a message that women should “go back to where you belong — to the Radcliffe Quad and the kitchen.” She goes on to say right-leaning women are left “intellectually homeless on campus.” The feature also points to a Salient article proposing the return of single-sex education at Harvard.

I am a woman, I am conservative, and I was functionally rejected by JAS this fall. The implied narrative from The Crimson article is that conservative women like me are being excluded from discourse, doomed to watch the University’s conservative movement unfold from the sidelines. I assure you that is far from the truth.

Instead, Harvard conservatives have welcomed me with open arms. I’ve found my way into leadership and currently serve on the executive board of the Institute of Politics Conservative Coalition. I’ve enjoyed countless professional and intellectual experiences, including bringing notable thought leaders like Oren M. Cass to speak at the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum and partaking in intimate study groups with Republican senators and a former vice president. I’ve even had the chance to discuss the conservative undergraduate experience with Harvard administrators, including Harvard College Dean David J. Deming and Dean of Students Thomas G. Dunne. Clearly, I have not been banished to the kitchen — though I do live in the Radcliffe Quad.

Despite what they may be led to believe from the article, young right-leaning women at Harvard should be excited at the prospect of a conservative community that offers many enriching spaces, such as the Harvard Republican Club, Abigail Adams Institute, and IOP Conservative Coalition. Harvard’s conservative movement is dynamic and bright. I encourage all conservative-leaning women to explore the many wonderful opportunities it offers.

— Kaitlyn Hou ’27, Director of External Affairs for the Conservative Coalition at the Institute of Politics.