Students and community members held two back-to-back protests ahead of the debate featuring Michael Knowles on campus Tuesday afternoon. Knowles debated Brad Polumbo on the question, “Should transgenderism be regulated by law?” at the event which took place in the O’Hara Student Center Tuesday evening. 

TransYOUniting hosted the first protest on Forbes Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, blocking the intersection for more than an hour. More than 250 people gathered for a second protest on O’Hara Street Tuesday later in the day, right before the start of the event. Pitt police issued an emergency alert for a “public safety emergency” at the later protest outside O’Hara.