UAF Struggles to Address Homophobia and Transphobia
By Mike Degen
This year, I am a TA and one of the instructors in the Hub. The Hub is an acronym for Helping Undergraduates Belong, and is an option for students to fulfill their first-year writing requirement. The Hub is listed as WRTG111X and consists of several different sections both in-person and online.
As part of the Hub, students participate in a Discord channel. Discord is a social media platform used to connect groups of people. In the Hub Discord, students respond to readings, share writing, and poll one another. The Hub and Discord present opportunities for students new to campus to not only improve their writing but to also meet other students.
Last semester, one part of the Hub’s Discord is a “Poll Your Peers” channel, where students could vote on other questions posted by students. One student asked, “Skiing or snowboarding?” while another asked “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” Students then used these polls as part of their writing.
While the majority of the conversations were fun questions such as the ones mentioned above, some of them turned serious and political. This led to several students making homophobic and transphobic comments.
As an instructor in the Hub, I, along with my fellow instructors, seek to create an atmosphere where all students are comfortable. One instructor reiterated this message in Discord following the insensitive comments made by several students. She said, “I want to remind everyone that our Discord space should be a place where everyone feels welcome and safe. It is also a place where we are learning respectful communication and empathy in the face of opposing ideas/beliefs. Sometimes we do this well. Other times we don’t.”
What struck me in this quote was the idea that the Discord, and campus as a whole, is a place where “we are learning respectful communication.” It’s true, not everyone knows how to communicate respectfully. It’s something we’re still learning.
After the transphobic comments were made, the Hub instructors came together and tried to figure out what to do next. We wondered if we should respond to those comments directly or if it’d be better to simply label them as homophobic and transphobic. We also pondered deleting them or just leaving them be. We consulted the University Policy which says, “The university will not limit or abridge any individual's constitutional right to free speech.” (1) However, the same document reads, “The university will not permit or tolerate discrimination that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment, or that interferes with an individual’s performance.” (1)
These two statements are forcefully clear yet totally ambiguous. Where is the line between free speech and creating a learning environment that is safe for all students?
Everyone has a right to freedom of expression. With that said, there are also consequences for those expressions. For better or worse, everything we say digitally is recorded forever. This includes our emails, texts, and social media posts. Even if you delete the post, what you said is recorded and saved digitally. We all say things we want to take back, but living in a digital age makes it increasingly harder to do so. Words, even more so in our digital age, also have more immediate consequences and instant ramifications.” Discord will forever have a copy of the homophobic and transphobic comments the students made no matter how hidden the comments may be to public view. Besides, people are able to screenshot and save messages that are later deleted, anyway, making the record of events even more persistent and present.
My dad used to tell me, “Don’t say anything you wouldn’t want on the front page of the newspaper.” These words ring even more true today in our digital age. Even private conversations between college peers can have repercussions. Several years ago, students had their admissions from Harvard revoked after posting offensive memes (2). More recently, several law students had their job offers revoked after comments they made on the conflict in Gaza (3).
So, what do you do when someone says something that creates an intimidating environment? Several comments made in the Discord did exactly that. One student emailed their instructor and said they felt not only uncomfortable but unsafe as a direct result of the Discord. So what’s next?
The Hub instructors' primary concern is creating a safe environment for all students. As such, we decided to hide the discussion that included homophobic and transphobic comments. It is yet to be known if the students who made those comments will face any disciplinary action.
My question for students posting homophobic and transphobic comments is this: Why? I don’t understand the point. It doesn’t make you look like a champion of free speech but quite the contrary. It makes you out to be someone who’s closed minded and lacking empathy.
Empathy, along with basic respect for other human beings, is essential to creating an environment that fosters learning, growth, and community. To the students posting these comments, what values are you putting forth? Are you contributing to building a community? Or are you tearing it apart?
As for the administration: What’s your stance on this? Are you going to do anything to stop the spread of transphobia and homophobia on campus? Or are you going to hide behind the shield of free speech? We have seen time and time again how online hate speech can lead to real world violence (4, 5, 6). Still, the university’s policies are unclear at what point the university steps in and stops the spread of hate. Where do you draw the line?
This is my first year on campus, and I am troubled by the spread of both homophobia and transphobia. It is important that we create a culture of accountability. When you witness transphobia or homophobia, you should report it immediately to the UAF Office of Rights, Compliance, and Accountability (ORCA). Furthermore, if you need someone to talk about any of these things, you can schedule an appointment at the UAF Student Health & Counseling Center. If you need to talk to someone, there are several options on campus:
You can go to the UAF Community Mental Health Clinic which is located at 1747 S. Chandalar Drive. Hours are Monday 10:30- 7:30, Tuesday 9-3, Wednesday 10:30-7:30, Thursday 9-3.
You can also schedule an appointment at the UAF Student Health and Counseling Center which is located at 1007 N. Chandalar Drive.
Brookings: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-hateful-rhetoric-connects-to-real-world-violence/
CBS News: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nyu-law-student-israel-hamas-ryna-workman-harvard/
Harvard Crimson: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2017/6/5/2021-offers-rescinded-memes/
UAF Freedom of Speech Policy: https://www.alaska.edu/bor/policy-regulations/chapter-01-02-general-provisions.php
Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/11/30/how-online-hate-speech-is-fueling-real-life-violence/
Correction made March 6, 2024: “first semester" on campus” was changed to “first year on campus” for the sake of accuracy.