Alums Circulate Petition in Solidarity With Trans* Activists

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In mere hours three students will go before the SJB in a highly controversial hearing on their alleged participation in a political campaign. Alums have sprung into action, drafting a letter in solidarity with the defendants and quickly securing an impressive range of signatories. At the time of this post, more than 211 alumnae from class years spanning 1981-2013 have signed the call from countries all over the world. The full text of the letter and the signatures is below:

We, progressive Wesleyan alumni, are deeply distressed to learn of the mistreatment of current transgender students and allies on campus. We support the brave student activists who responded to their experience of marginalization by expressing themselves through de-gendering the bathrooms.

 Transgender people face socially-sanctioned dehuminization and abuse, employment discrimination, threats and violence. Wesleyan’s perpetuation of this behavior is abhorrent and inconsistent with the values that the University fosters among its students, such as social justice, inclusivity, and community. In this and other actions of late we are witnessing an eroding of Wesleyan’s core values, and we are concerned about the current and future climate of a place we once held so dear. As alumni, we are the spokespersons and ambassadors for our alma mater. We want the school which we attended and which we represent to remain faithful to the ethos of fairness with which it was founded and for which it is known. We want Wesleyan to continue to inspire other universities and institutions through its exemplary commitment to social justice.

Though the school considers the de-gendering of bathrooms to be property damage and vandalism, far more destructive are the conditions which gave rise to the students’ actions. Wesleyan must recognize the root cause of the actions: a climate in which trans students feel silenced, unwelcome and unsafe. Rather than punish the very people who are being harmed, Wesleyan needs to look at how it can create a more inclusive campus. Those people and institutions preventing some community members from feeling safe are not under investigation nor being held accountable. Rather, only those standing up for a safer campus have been sanctioned.

We demand that the Administration ensure that trans students feel safe on campus, especially when engaged in an act as basic and essential as using the bathroom. We ask that you stop the SJB process that singles out a handful of students for an action that was taken by many as a means of survival. Instead of blaming the victims of oppression, Wesleyan must engage in a dialogue about cisgender privilege and begin to do the painful but necessary work of creating a campus that is just and safe for all.

Proudly,

Wesleyan Alumni

 

Abby Biberman

2004
Abigail Boggs

2002
Ada Pinkston

2005
Adrien Weibgen

2005
Agueda Ortega

2013
Alain Chan

2012
Alana Perino

2011
Alex Hirsch

2013
Alex Kelley

2013
Alexander Levey

2009
Alexandra Patrick

2013
Alice Ruby

1991
Allegra Stout

2012
Ally Bernstein

2012
Amara Davila

2013
Amelia Tatarian

2013
Amy Barth

2004
Andrea Cortes-Juarbe

2005
Andreas Gurewich

2005
Andrew Pfeiffer

2013
Anna Lefer Kuhn

1997
Anna Steed

2005
Anthony Zosherafatain

2010
Anwar Batte

2013
Anya Backlund

2011
Anya Maddow-Zimet

2004
Ari Fishman

2013
Ari Lev Fornari

2004
Arli Christian

2004
Aviva Tevah

2009
Becca Snelling

2012
Beck WItt

2003
Ben Doernberg

2012
Ben Spatz

2001
Benjamin Hart

2011
Bill Beluch

2013
Brendan Martin

1995
Briana Deutsch

2009
Caitlin Slattery

2006
Cam Awkward-Rich

2011
Cameron Couch

2013
Cara Herbitter

2003
Charlie Abbott

2010
Cheryl Walker

2012
Christian Lalonde

2013
Christina Pham

2013
Christine Tristani

2013
Claire Randall

2012
Colin Casey

2005
Conrad Wenzel

2003
Corey Guilmette

2013
Corey Harrower

2007
Dan Fischer

2011
Dan Ping He

2013
Dana Raviv

2006
Dani Patrick

2013
Danielle Feris

2002
David Rood-Ojalvo

2005
Dylan Turmeque-Lamont

2013
Eli Hetko

2011
Elissa Martel

2010
Elizabeth Evans

2013
Elizabeth Tammaro

2013
Ellana Theodorou

2012
Em Kianka

2013
Emily Black

2013
Emily Brown

2012
Emily Keeler

2007
Emily Shechtman

2008
Emma Alpert

2004
Emma Cooper-Serber

1997
Eric Bissell

2010
Erin O’donnell

2012
Ev Evnen

2010
Evan Bissell

2005
Evan Weber

2013
Evelyn Israel

2010
Ez Cukor

2005
Fatima Ahmed

2004
Frank Lyon

2005
Gaspar Caro

2005
Gina Eichenbaum-Pikser

2005
Hannah Barber

2010
Hannah Rubin

2013
Henry Thornhill

2012
Iris Jacob

2006
Jack Downey

2002
James Gardner

2013
Javier Gaston-Greenburg

2004
Jeff Jorve

2004
Jeffrey Dunn Rovinelli

2010
Jenny Hipscher

2004
Jeremy Keim-Shenk

2012
Jesse Brent

2103
Jesse Ross-Silverman

2013
Jessica Gregg

2004
Jessie Morris

2004
JM Jaffe

2009
Jose Chapa

2007
Joseph D Cribb

2013
Josh Smith

2011
Julia Marcus

2003
Julie Neuspiel

2009
Justin Leroy

2005
Kateryn Nuñez

2013
Katherine Eyster

2010
Katherine Steinle

1999
Katherine Wolf

2012
Kathryn Schoendorf

2004
Katie Burk

2002
Katie Halper

2003
Katiria Calderon

2005
Kaya Ceci

2013
Kendra Ing

2004
Kevin Hayes

2011
Kevin Walters

2012
Kiera Mulvey

2000
Kieran K. Meadows

2004
Kristen Raddatz

2013
Lane Lauriat

2009
Laura Hymson

2000
Laurel Kennedy

2004
Leah Rotkin-Ellman

2002
Leila Tabbaa

2007
Lena Solow

2012
Lesley Chapman

2009
Lex Horan

2007
Lida Shao

2006
Lilly Dagdigian

2008
Lily Haskell

2004
Liza Eyster

2004
Lizzie Busch

2010
Lucas Guilkey

2010
Lucas Mantilla

2013
Maddie Thomson

2008
Maggie Burbank

2002
Maggie Graham

2004
Maggie White

2005
Mairead Ahern Salsich

2004
Mallory Cruz

2011
Maria Bonacci

2001
Mark Bennett

2013
Maxwell Hellman

2013
May Kyi

2004
Mayuran Tiruchelvam

2003
Megan Greenberg

2007
Meggie Mcguire

2012
Meggie Twible

2012
Melanie Ferdinand

2013
Melissa Rosario

2005
Meredith Jacks

2003
Mia Unger

2002
Mica Taliafaro

2012
Michael Andolina

2005
Michael Conrad

2013
Michael Lazar

2013
Molly Carina Dengler

2006
Natalie Ng

2013
Nick Malinowski

2004
Nico Vitti

2012
Nicole Davis

1994
Nicole Pritchard

2005
Nicole Sugerman

2007
Nikolás I. McConnie-Saad

2005
Omar Hernandez

2004
Oneka LaBennett

1994
Paige Kruza

2007
Paul Blasenheim

2012
Per Stinchcombe

2008
Piper Coutinho-Sledge

2003
Rachel Sigman

2001
Rachel Williams

2005
Randy Linder

2013
Rashida Richardson

2008
Rosa Cohen-Cruz

2007
S.G. Myrseth

2010
Sabelo Narasimhan

1997
Sally Lee

1996
Sam Fleischner

2005
Samantha Hurley

2009
Sara Ghebremichael

2004
Sara Pullen

1997
Sarah Ashkin

2011
Sarah Krauss

2000
Sarah Leitson

2011
Sascha Weiss

2004
Sean Fisher

2003
Selina Ellis

2004
Slamming

2013
Sonia Silbert

2002
Sophia Hussain

2013
Susan Meeker

1981
Tanya Ellman

2001
Tara Urs

1998
Teju Adisa-Farrar

2013
Tev Monnin

2005
Tony Zosherafatain

2010
Una Osato

2004
Vivian Chau Best

2003
Vladimir Gurewich

2010
Will Feinstein

2013
Xiomara Lorenzo

2005
Yael Chanoff

2011
Zach Goldberg

2013
Zach Schonfeld

2013
Zach Strassburger

2006
Zack Hall

2004
Zak Kirwood

2012
Zakia Henderson-Brown

2006
Zil Goldstein

2005
Zoe Mueller

2013

56 thoughts on “Alums Circulate Petition in Solidarity With Trans* Activists”

  1. Pingback: SPECIAL EDITION: Trans*action on Trial | Hermes

  49. Wes Alums

    Wes Alums continuing to write in and sign on:

    Alix Strunk 2005
    Ana J. Portilla 2007
    Cashman Kerr Prince 1992
    Cheryl Walker 2012
    Chris Kontopidis 2010
    Christene De Jong 2002
    David Stein 2006
    Elizabeth Damaskos 2012
    Jillian Moreno 2013
    Lily Seaman 2002
    Marina Reza 2013
    Mark Leonida 2008
    Marshall Johnson 2011
    Martha S. Tenney 2009
    Matt Browner-Hamlin 2004
    Melissa Silverman 2009
    Micharri Pratts 2013
    Michelle Loucas 1993
    Mimi Bai 2009
    Paolo Speirn 2010
    Ravid Chowdhury 2009
    Sarah Hexter 2005
    Suzanne Ho 2013

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