Gettysburg College recently cancelled an event designed to alleviate students’ frustrations with “white cis men” after receiving considerable pushback from the public.
Originally scheduled for last Saturday, the event called on students to “come paint and write” about how they are “tired of white cis men.” The resulting ‘artwork’ would be displayed at Junction, the private school’s main dining hall and gathering place.
“While in theory this event might exist only for a senior’s research project, in practice it creates a hostile environment for many students that perpetuates racism and sexism on campus,” reads a bias complaint filed by student Andrew Breschard. “More troubling than the event itself is that the poster states that the paintings created at the event…will be hung publicly in Junction. Hanging paintings that vilify and devalue students on the basis of their race and sex is nothing short of intimidation.”
Cis, short for cisgender, refers to an individual whose gender identity matches the sex they were assigned at birth. The term is sometimes used in a derogatory fashion by the LGBTQ community to describe people who are ‘too normal.’
Speaking with Fox News, a Gettysburg alumnus who wished to remain anonymous said he was “pretty upset” when he heard about the event.
“As a white, cis male, the fact that basically people are being allowed to discriminate based on sexuality and race is not something that was ever in the Gettysburg that was taught to me,” he said. “Even as a conservative, the one thing Gettysburg used to always strive for was diversity, equity, and inclusion, but in an actual good way that you could have conservatives, you could have liberals, you could have actual conversations.”
A senior at the school (who also wished to remain anonymous) said he wasn’t surprised to hear of the event. “Normally, rhetoric on posters of this nature tends to be more inclusive and welcoming to the target student groups,” he said. “But this rhetoric is simply divisive…The faculty on campus always preaches unity among students on campus but never actually do anything to enact this unity.”
Ironically, the painting and writing event was to be part of a senior project focused on “Peace and Justice.” It was cancelled shortly after an Instagram post brought attention to the controversial event.
According to a spokesperson, the event was part of a student project and not endorsed by the school itself (even though it was to be hosted by Gettysburg’s Gender Sexuality and Resource Center).
“In any community of our size, there will be a wide range of views,” said the spokesperson. “That creates a productive educational environment, but it also means that there will be occasions where views expressed are controversial or inconsistent with the values of the community…The faculty leaders of Peace and Justice Studies have asked the student to reflect on their objectives and restructure their project accordingly.”
Author’s Note: This so-called “Peace and Justice” project is the very definition of hypocrisy. Can you imagine the headlines if the flyer pictured above read “tired of Black people?” or “tired of the gays?”
Unfortunately these attacks against white, straight men are not limited to Gettysburg. In August, the University of California, Berkeley banned white students from off-campus student housing common areas. At Trinity College, American flags were taken down while pride flags were allowed to remain.
Sources:
Gettysburg College postpones event for people tired of ‘White cis men’
Gettysburg College postpones event for people tired of ‘white cis men’
‘Tired of White Cis Men?’ Gettysburg College Wants You to Paint Your Frustrations
‘Tired of white cis men?’ Event draws bias complains at Gettysburg College