Letter to the editor: Students, university should commit to being inclusive
Last month the university released (via Facebook/social media) a Valentine’s Day video. Although most of these Valentine’s Day messages from students were harmless shoutouts to parents, friends and partners, there were clips that treated same-gender relationships as a joke and seemingly mocked these partnerships.
The university received numerous complaints and removed the video. Then, on February 17, the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusiveness released a statement about the video.
Although the email from the council did not address the university’s decision to include these segments or the choice to post it on their social media, the statement did address some other important points.
The council recognized that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people within our university and community felt bothered by this incident – and, that this impact is still important, regardless of the intention of the individuals in the video.
Ultimately, what seemed like a joke to some was hurtful and stigmatizing to others.
In response to this incident, we wanted to discuss how our university community can more effectively carry out the university’s mission of inclusive excellence. It is important to understand that we, as individuals, both shape and are shaped by the social and political atmosphere in which we live. As such, our lives, values and beliefs are inherently influenced by a social context that stigmatizes LGBTQ people – potentially resulting in biases we are not even aware of.
The Valentine’s Day video is a powerful example of heteronormativity, whereby heterosexuality is treated as the norm and other sexual orientations are marginalized or stigmatized as a result.
We may make missteps along the way, but we must practice humility in our mission to increase awareness, understanding and empathy toward one another. We hope for a university where diverse sexual orientations, gender identities and relationships are respected and valued.
We write today to offer some ideas for how to challenge heteronormativity in everyday life. One simple step is to stop asking whether someone has a boyfriend or girlfriend, which assumes heterosexual relationships and binary gender constructs. Instead, using language like “partner” is more inclusive.
Second, if you see incidents that stigmatize LGBTQ people, speak out and be an ally. Often it is left to the individuals who are marginalized by these incidents to address them. Helping to shoulder that burden can be really useful.
Lastly, share messages and social media representations that are inclusive of LGBTQ people in positive ways.
We invite our university community to think about inclusive excellence – not only as it relates to our values, but also our choices, actions and reactions in everyday life.
If we can create a context with more positivity and celebration of diverse individuals and relationships, perhaps we will give a person we know a different experience or perception of LGBTQ people that makes them think in more inclusive ways.
Jae A. Puckett, Ph.D., & Jill Morris, M.A.
Department of Psychology; Clinical Psychology Program
