On Wednesday, June 2, the Academic Dean's office, in coordination with the Office of Student Life, sent a message to the St. Lawrence community about celebrating Pride Month and available resources.
Dear Laurentians,
During the month of June, we celebrate Pride Month, which commemorates the countless ways that members of our community who identify as LGBTQIA+ enrich us. We also remind ourselves of the tragic reality that the U.S. is still far from becoming the community to which we aspire. This is especially true for the transgender members of our community.
Transgender individuals have faced inequity, discrimination, hatred and terrible violence both in our country and all over the world. Last year, 44 transgender and gender non-conforming individuals were murdered in the U.S., and more than 350 were murdered globally, making 2020 the worst year for trans violence on record.
Already in 2021, nearly two dozen transgender or gender-non-conforming individuals have been killed in the U.S. More than half the victims have been Black trans women. In addition, many states in our nation are seeking to pass legislation that aims to restrict rights to trans individuals in many areas, including health care, sports, and limiting access to public facilities such as restrooms.
At St. Lawrence, we want to take this opportunity to state unequivocally that we value all of our LGBTQIA+ community members. Last November, for example, the Gunnison Memorial Chapel Bells tolled as our community honored the memory of each transgender or gender non-conforming person who had been killed in the U.S. in 2020 as part of Transgender Day of Remembrance. The event was made possible by the SLU SAFE Project. And, thanks to Spectrum which made the request during the Spring 2021 term, the Pride Flag is displayed on the flagpole outside the Student Center
We continue to work toward creating and fostering an inclusive community for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We commit to listening, partnering, and doing all that we can to make St. Lawrence a healthy, inclusive, and welcoming community for everyone.
With students on campus this summer during this month, we look forward to offering events that celebrate and honor our LGBTQIA community. Please stay tuned for announcements of events hosted throughout this month. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming an ally, here’s an excellent resource: https://www.activeminds.org/blog/how-to-be-an-ally-during-pride-month/. For information on resources offered at St. Lawrence, please visit https://www.stlawu.edu/lgbtq.
Hagi Bradley, Vice President and Dean of Student Life
Kimberly Flint-Hamilton, Associate Dean for Diversity & Inclusion
Karl Schonberg, Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs