Consistent with Boston College’s vision for integrated LGBTQ+ resources, incoming University president Rev. John “Jack” Butler, S.J., all but ruled out the possibility of a standalone LGBTQ+ resource center.
“I don’t see us having an LGBTQ Resource Center,” Butler said in a recent interview with The Gavel.
Butler, who will not take over as University president until the summer of 2026, also emphasized the importance of making all BC students feel accepted, regardless of their identities.
“BC has an obligation to love everybody that came here,” Butler said. “Whether they’re believers or non-believers, whether they’re gay or straight, whether they’re transgender, it’s our goal to have people come to this community and become part of the BC family.”
In 2022, the University integrated support for LGBTQ+ students into the Thea Bowman AHANA Intercultural Center (BAIC), which also supports students of color and other underrepresented communities.
In a statement to The Heights, University Spokesman Jack Dunn reaffirmed that University administrators will continue to support an intersectional model of student support.
“As The Heights knows, Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper Whitehead has articulated her vision that the BAIC should serve all BC students, including members of our LGBTQ community, and she has added additional staff in support of their needs,” Dunn wrote. “Fr. Butler’s comment in The Gavel interview is consistent with that vision and reflects the position of most Jesuit, Catholic institutions.”
For decades, members of the Boston College community have advocated for a dedicated LGBTQ+ space, separate from those serving other marginalized groups.
Under the leadership of University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., the administration has consistently rejected calls for a standalone LGBTQ+ center.
Butler reiterated the University’s commitment to dignity, inclusion, and acceptance, rooted in its Jesuit and Catholic identity.
“All people are made in the image and likeness of God and deserve the inherent dignity that should be given because of that fact,” Butler wrote in a statement to The Heights. “I believe that with my whole heart. Because of our Judeo Christian heritage, we are a community of welcome and acceptance within the commitment we have of being Jesuit and Catholic.”
Queer Leadership Council (QLC) Director Sydney Brown, MCAS ’25 expressed disappointment at Butler’s remarks.
“Hearing Father Butler say he doesn’t see Boston College having an LGBTQ+ Resource Center is incredibly disappointing, especially since LGBTQ+ students at BC have experienced increased hatred and hostility on campus in light of the evolving political climate, and we need and deserve visible support from our university now more than ever,” Brown wrote in a statement to The Heights.
The conversation around a dedicated LGBTQ+ space gained attracted renewed attention during this year’s UGBC presidential campaign.
Jack Adams, MCAS ’26, one of three candidates vying for the presidency, reiterated his campaign promise to allocate part of UGBC’s budget to converting part of UGBC’s office into an LGBTQ+ resource center during the presidential debate.
“We’re not going to give up on the fight for the LGBTQ resource center,” Adams said during the debate. “We intend to spend part of our budget on hiring peer counselors and graduate assistants to actually assist LGBTQ+ students.”
Cami Kulbieda, LSEHD ’26, who was elected UGBC president, acknowledged the persistent roadblocks students have faced in creating a dedicated LGBTQ+ resource center.
“I’ll emphasize Andrew’s point that an LGBTQ+ resource center has been a tried-and-tried initiative for over 20 years,” Kulbieda said during the debate. “Only in the last three years—less than that—has the BAIC even accepted LGBT resource centers.”
In spite of the decades of rejection, Brown holds out hope for future change.
“It’s not surprising to me, nor to many of the current and former members of QLC who have pushed for a resource center for years, to be met with repeated rejection,” Brown wrote. “I sincerely hope that sentiment changes moving forward.”
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