Kennesaw State’s recent decision to remove university logos from LGBTQ pamphlets hurts transgender and gender non-binary students as it is indicative of a problematic history of KSU administrators suppressing marginalized students.
KSU recently made headlines by removing its logo from LGBTQ pamphlets outlining different pronouns and locations of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus.
The pamphlets were also periodically removed from KSU’s LGBTQ Resource Center’s website and had previously made national news after sparking a heated backlash from conservatives who took issue with the existence of pronouns other than he, him, she and her.
According to Project Q, an Atlanta-based LGBTQ newspaper, Rep. Earl Ehrhart took issue with the pamphlets in a public hearing.
Ehrhart, an anti-LGBTQ politician, told former KSU interim President Ken Harmon at the hearing that he felt conservative students were being treated unfairly and called the neopronouns, or “new pronouns,” on the pamphlet a “fantasy language.”
Such rhetoric is shallow, transphobic and showcases Ehrhart’s level of knowledge on the issue of queer identities.
Language is constantly evolving and fluid in nature. As humanity discovers new aspects of ourselves, we develop new words to identify those things. Unfortunately, many English words surrounding queer identity are new because queer people had never been allowed to explore and define themselves publicly until the last few decades.
Invalidating and discounting the very existence of transgender and gender non-binary people allows for the normalization of hate speech against the queer community. The idea that transgender people are a fantasy, that queer people are not real, is devastating to hear as a member of the LGBTQ community.
This dismissive ideology is what has led to the dehumanization, bullying, suicide, and sometimes murder of members of the LGBTQ community. This is reflected in a study by the National Institue of Health which found that “suicide rate and suicidal tendencies among transgender persons are considerably high compared to [the] general population.”
Transgender people have existed as long as humanity has, and to deny their existence is to ignore their history and contributions to society and to actively contribute to the erasure of their experiences. When state legislators and those in positions of power choose to ignore the targeted oppression of an entire people, it directly contributes to the suffering of those people.
We previously reported that Harmon said there is “no official policy that mandates the use of gender-neutral pronouns” on KSU’s campuses and that the pamphlet is not “sanctioned by the university.”
KSU has a significant population of LGBTQ students, but, based on KSU’s decision to side with Ehrhart, it would appear that the university’s loyalty lies with conservative politicians, despite the number of LGBTQ programs and services on campus that attract queer students.
Harmon’s statements are reflective of a watered-down centrist narrative at KSU, like the one seen in KSU’s decision to cut the protesting cheerleaders without offering any initial commentary. Similarly here, instead of deciding to stand with queer students, educate the public about LGBTQ issues and celebrate KSU’s diversity, officials decided to quietly stop acknowledging queer students to back away slowly in an apparent attempt to not cause public outrage.
Jessica Fisher, a graduate student studying American studies, said that she was disappointed with KSU’s decision.
“I hope soon that Dr. Whitten will speak to transgender students,” Fisher said. “The interim administration left us feeling unsure of our place at KSU — and her silence is isolating.”
Senior journalism major Stuart Morrison also voiced concerns with how the situation is being handled.
“I am concerned that the administration, and especially Dr. Whitten, are insincere when they say they want to be inclusive and support diversity,” Morrison said. “Dr. Whitten hasn’t even mentioned that there are concerns in her ‘Written by Whitten’ newsletters shared to faculty, staff and student notify lists.”
KSU has a history of undermining the work of marginalized students. Cisgender students should show support and respect for their gender non-binary and transgender peers by doing simple things like respecting peoples’ pronouns, educating and calling out people who make degrading comments.
Until administration and students vocally oppose anti-LGBTQ sentiment and the suppression of marginalized students, trans students at KSU will be left to feel second-best.