Ball State University Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP)
February 4, 2025
The Ball State chapter of the AAUP expresses continued solidarity with and commitment to defending the rights of LGBTQAI+ students, faculty, and staff on campus. We call on our university administration to do the same.
Recent events, both on and off campus, have signaled increased hostility toward our LGBTQAI+ population.
- On January 4th, at the Ways and Means committee meeting, legislators directly attacked the Lavender Door project which provides gender-affirming clothing at our multicultural center.
- On January 30th, the Chief Strategy Officer pre-emptively canceled a faculty workshop titled LGBTQ 101 due to pending legislation against D.E.I. at the state level, which has not passed and – if passed – would be implemented after the workshop’s scheduled date.
- On February 2 and 3, faculty reported the destruction, removal, or reversal of all signs and stickers related to LGBTQ+ topics from multiple academic buildings to the police. We do not know the culprit at this time; however, this action following the news media coverage of the workshop cancellation signals an atmosphere of hostility towards our marginalized populations on campus.
We at the AAUP value the rights of our faculty, students, and staff to be their authentic selves at this university. We will not comply in advance with any anti-LGBTQAI+ legislation.
We call on the Ball State administration and campus community to join us in committing to the following:
- Continue hosting and attending LGBTQAI+ events on campus and supporting LGBTQAI+ initiatives
- Continue to support LGBTQAI+ students, faculty, and staff by respecting proper names and pronouns in all university spaces
- Correct misconceptions about trans and queer identities in our university classrooms and offices
- Challenge homophobic or transphobic attacks at the state, national, and local levels
- Recognize that multiple religious traditions and cultures acknowledge and have beliefs and practices that involve an understanding of gender and sexuality that differs from contemporary American debates over this issue. Understand that true commitment to intellectual diversity acknowledges that this is not a binary issue that neatly fits into contemporary American political frameworks.
We invite all members of the Ball State community to join us in this commitment in the spirit of Beneficence and our enduring values of equity and inclusion on campus.