Faculty gives a big ‘Screw you!’ to House Bill 2
LGBTQ community, we stand with you
This past Monday, Wake Forest faculty voted to adopt a resolution condemning North Carolina House Bill 2 (HB2), which eradicates anti-discrimination protections for all lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
The resolution was brought forward by members of Wake Forward, an organization comprising of faculty, staff, and students sharing a progressive vision for our campus, in an effort to sustain and increase the diversity of our community.
“We wanted to send a clear message that the law negatively affects the Wake Forest community,” Kristina Gupta, Assistant Professor in the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and one of the drafters of the resolution, said. “We hope the faculty resolution will send a symbolic message of support to the LGBTQ members of our community.”
Mary Dalton, Professor of Communication, Film Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies agrees.
“I am proud of my faculty colleagues who voted overwhelmingly this afternoon to support a resolution condemning HB2,” Dalton says. “For me, as an ally, I want to be helpful in all manner of social justice issues, and this one is very important.”
Although Wake Forest faculty collectively condemns HB2, according to a recent article in The New York Times, Senate Republicans unanimously support the bill stressing, “The bill was passed not just to protect women and children from unwanted and potentially dangerous intrusions by biological males, but also to clarify legislative authority.”
Angela Mazaris, LGBTQ Center Director and a member of Wake Forward disagrees.
“The impacts of HB2 will be felt both on the individual level, as LGBTQ people face discrimination in the most quotidian areas of everyday life, and on the statewide level, as our local businesses and industry are unable to attract and retain top talent,” Mazaris says.
Wake Forward will be sending the resolution to state representatives calling for HB2’s repeal.
For more information about the impact of HB2 on the WFU community, there will be a “Beyond Bathrooms” panel on April 18th at 5PM in Broyhill Auditorium.