Sunday night, BCPD was alerted to an act of vandalism that had taken place on campus, in which someone rearranged the letters on the Mod Lot parking sign to say “No F**s.” The GLBTQ+ Leadership Council (GLC) strongly condemns this act of hate.
Not only does this slur diminish and degrade the identities of queer students, but it furthermore sends a message to our community that we do not belong on this campus. It is a message of exclusion. It is a message of alienation. It is a message that cannot and should not exist on this campus any longer.
But it will.
It will until we as a university—students, faculty, and staff—stand up to the insidious culture of prejudice on our campus. Insidious not because it is hidden, not because it is duplicitous, but because we have named it “tradition”—a word that gives us comfort in our complacency and bias. As a result, we are expected to live lifestyles and not lives, and therefore, we are given admission, but not acceptance.
This tradition does not live up to our Jesuit ideals.
We are called to love and recognize our whole selves, to find God in all things, and to be men and women for others.* Now we ask you to not just stand for us, but with us. When we come together around these ideals, we send a new message; we create a new culture. One where love and support is the norm, not the ideal. We can create a campus that fully embraces all students, regardless of how they identify or who they love. And together, we will.
To any student who has been affected, especially first-years and transfers—we see you, we recognize you, and we honor your right to exist freely on this campus. You are not alone. There are hundreds of us at BC who have made a home here, found our chosen families, and are thriving. Those families are waiting for you with open arms.
Finally, we would like to acknowledge the incredible work that the Office of the Dean of Students has done for the LGBTQIA+ community on campus, and we would encourage anyone who needs support to reach out to their office through Caroline Davis, assistant dean for Student Outreach and Support. Caroline can be reached at (617) 552-3470, and caroline.davis.2@bc.edu.
What happened on Sunday does not define Boston College, but how we respond will.
*”People for others” is more accurate, as there are more than two genders.
In Solidarity,
Anne Williams, Chair of GLC (UGBC)
Nick Massimino, Vice Chair of GLC (UGBC)
Collin Pratt, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion (UGBC)
Featured Image by Zach Halpern / Heights Archives
