Statement of Support for LGBTQ+ Students

As educators, we aim to provide a safe, supportive, and affirming environment where our students are able to learn, grow, and flourish. We support all LGBTQ+ students, faculty, staff, and community members and oppose all forms of violence, harassment, and erasure aimed at these groups. We value our students’ full selves and hold their privacy as an inalienable right.

As Religious Studies scholars, we uphold gender expression in all forms, including drag, as a constitutional right protected under the free exercise of religion. Many religious holidays and traditions uphold a spectrum of gender identities and celebrate a range of expression. We will continue to teach and validate these traditions, as well as allow our students to express themselves within their religion as they see fit.

As Jewish Studies scholars, we recognize the fascist playbook of violently scapegoating minoritized populations through the use of genocidal rhetoric and policies aimed at erasure. Homophobia and transphobia have long been weaponized by totalitarian regimes under the guise of “purity” and “public safety,” leading to increased violence against the LGBTQ+ population. We oppose fascism in all forms and will continue to protect our students from state-sanctioned persecution.

As Linguists, we understand the dynamic nature of language change, celebrate language’s capacity for self-expression, and repudiate initiatives to use language as a weapon of gender violence. The politicization of pronouns is nothing new; thee and thou became subject to religious stigma centuries ago. Such bigoted behavior should remain a thing of the past. We reject the linguistic bullying of our trans and gender-nonconforming students and colleagues.

As Humanities scholars, we understand the irreparable damage caused by hate, discrimination, and censorship across the globe and will continue to speak out against these actions for the betterment of our students, our community, and a free and just society. We celebrate the diversity of the human experience and refuse to conform to a whitewashed system of education.

We vow to:

• address students by the name and pronouns of their choosing and will refuse to comply with directives to do otherwise.
• oppose any effort to invade student, staff, or faculty privacy.
• support LGBTQ+ student protests and movements.
• advocate for gender-affirming care.
• stand against LGBTQ+ discrimination within the University community. 

We ask the University to:

• continue providing courses and programming surrounding gender and sexuality.
• refuse to comply with laws that impinge upon academic freedom.
• support professors, units, and programs that teach the broad spectrum of human gender and sexuality.
• offer physical and mental health services that recognize and serve the LGBTQ+ student community.
• recognize students as adults capable of making their own decisions around their bodies and minds.