By Punya Bhasin, Assistant News Editor
• September 6, 2023
Pitt is rescinding an $18,743 security fee previously charged to College Republicans for hosting the Michael Knowles event last semester, after receiving a letter threatening legal action against the University.
Pride flags are being stowed away, and brands are lacking their usual rainbow-ified twitter profile pictures. To many this shows that there is a lack of genuine support and allyship presented by these brands.
More than 250 people protested on O’Hara Street Tuesday evening outside the O’Hara Student Center, where Michael Knowles debated Brad Polumbo on whether the government should regulate transgender identity.
In terms of whether the University could face legal repercussions if it canceled the “anti-trans” events, some first amendment experts have varying viewpoints on the answer, but they agree that the University is upholding the principles of free speech and the First Amendment.
La’Tasha Mayes, a Democrat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, discussed student activism and “anti-trans” events on Friday in honor of the 50th anniversary of both Pitt’s Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Department and Rainbow Alliance.
About 300 students, faculty and community members protested outside the Cathedral of Learning Friday, chanting “transphobes have got to go” before an event featuring conservative commentator Cabot Phillips started later that evening.
For LGBTQ+ people in America, 2022 marked a year filled with fear and uncertainty as the right introduced a record number of anti-LGBTQ+ bills. In 2023, these anxieties spiked as some of these proposed bills turned into reality.
By Madison Dean, Senior Staff Writer
• March 17, 2023
The Faculty Assembly held a meeting on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the continuation of the English Language Institute, the impact of upcoming ‘anti-trans’ events on the Pitt community and exercise facility benefits for employees.
By Alexandra Ross, Assistant News Editor
• March 15, 2023
A wave of backlash against two upcoming “anti-trans” events at Pitt has reached Harrisburg. The Pennsylvania House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus condemned Pitt and called for the events to be canceled.
In the wake of the upcoming “anti-trans” events scheduled to take place on Pitt’s campus, some transgender students are raising concerns over safety and say they are disappointed by a lack of support from the University.
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