I'm the cochair of the English department's reading series where we bring authors into campus to do readings

One of our alumni (A GRADUATE FROM THIS SCHOOL) has a YA romance novel out. The romance novel is about A GAY.

The novel is with a big 5 publisher. It's a big deal! We invited almuni to visit campus to give a talk and a reading.

We asked that this be sent to the alumni network.

Right after I left campus for the day, the my cochair got pulled into the head of my department's office

Head of the department WAS IN TEARS

The Dean was there.

It seems! An alumni! Complained! That this event! Is Bad! And needs to be stopped! Because it's breaking SB-151! Which is an Alabama state law that was passed last year to END DEI.

SB-151 outlaws the teaching of SEVEN DIVISIVE CONCEPTS.

Which are stupid and pointless but I'll link to an explainer here:Know Your Rights: Alabama | NEA

NONE OF THE THINGS OUTLAWED IN SB-151 INCLUDE OPTIONAL PUBLIC READINGS ABOUT A YA ROMANCE NOVEL THAT IS GAY.

And yet

The President of the university

Decided that maybe it did include that

So the President. Told the Dean. To tell the English Department. That we were no longer sponsoring that event with "general" university funds.

The Dean tried to fight him on this. The Provost tried to fight him on this.

But the President is a coward. An absolute coward.

So our money got taken away TWO DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT.

And then! The President said! HE was concerned! That our Black History Month "African-American Read In" event! Might also! Be a Divisive Concept!!!!!

BECAUSE THE THEME IS "BLACK JOY"

I am going to burn a hole through the center of the earth.

THE DEAN at least has his own pot of money that's not the general fund.

And the Dean very kindly is footing the entire bill with his cash.

BUT

I’m literally so fucking pissed too I’m seeing red it’s fucking black history month are we not allowed to celebrate that anymore because of white tears I hate this country

JUST

EVERYTHING

I’m so sorry this is so disgraceful and my heart hurts so much this is just fucking fascism

Your university president is a disgrace of a human being

I'LL FUCKING FIGHT HIM ON THIS

We're not allowed to advertise for our event with the university logo

We're not allowed to have it on any of the screens in OUR OWN BUILDING

Sorry pres you're not a coward you're a racist and a fascist

I wish for karma to those involved in very badly want to fight

Is there a number we can call

HE'S A BOOTLICKING COWARD WHO WANTS TO BE STOMPED ON HARDER

If you were alumni

Yeah this is beyond cowardice in the face of fascism and racism the fact he’s bending his back makes him complicit

I'd suggest calling but

I'm going to go to faculty senate with this

Okay just let us know what we can do

Right now just vibrate with me

Someone should make a stink so people know about it, this deserves ire from a grand scale

get his ass

Get them

Oh I absolutely intend to make the rest of the faculty on campus aware of this.

President needs to get fuuuuuuuuuuuucked

Now that's a man who was just looking for an excuse

god fuck that guy 100000% jesus

he's legit a coward

terrified of pushback

utterly afraid of making anyone other than faculty upset

no gay books or black joy allowed HELLO? outrageous. asinine.

It’s admitting that gay and poc rage doesn’t bother him but white rage does

the man is motivated mostly by who will give me the most money.

and the seeing as how this University had no graduates who were black until the mid 1970s

because it was a segregated University because it's in Alabama

you can imagine what the Alumni network is like

by attendance the school is currently about 30% black and 10 to 15% hispanic.

of the 11 members of the Board of Trustees there is a single black man.

seven white men and three white women, however one of the three women is the governor of the state of Alabama so she doesn't really too much in terms of the day-to-day running of the University

Okay I have written a two-page long 11-point single-spaced letter

Jesus I hate this

To the faculty senate president, vice president, and both English department faculty senate reps

My co-chair is a trans man! He doesn't have tenure!

So I get to be the one who burns the heavens down.

Alright. Letter sent.

I had it read over by both the trans colleague and another member of the committee.

Only my name is on it, though. I'm one of two members of the committee with tenure.

RESPONSE FROM THE SENATE PRESIDENT:

"Those of us who were on the SB-129 committee pushed JSU to take a narrow interpretation of the law because you are correct, there does not appear to be anything that would violate SB-129. "

CORRECT!

YES!

WE WERE TARGETED FOR BEING. TOO GAY.

So anyway, the senate president is one of the most capable people I know.

She's smarter than 90% of the administration and works harder than 3 of them put together.

The PROVOST is involved and evidently AGREES WITH US SO MUCH that she just FORWARDED THE EMAIL CHAIN THAT LED TO THE BANNING on to faculty senate.

Senate has meanwhile written several letters off in response to admin

They're trying to reform the SB-129 task force.

And also the LGBTQ+ FACULTY GROUP CHAT has been informed

And they're. Spinning balls of fire themselves.

let's fucking GO

I got off the phone with the faculty senate faculty affairs committee chair and SHE'S a ball of fire.

I'm bringing people together (against the president's cowardly homophobia).

anyway yesterday morning I made a poster for a class I'm teaching next semester I'm very proud of. I'm going to share it here because I need to point out something fun I've done in the last day because I haven't had much fun.

I am aware I made an error in the Tuesday Thursday date that has been corrected since I made this screenshot.

hehehe

if only i had two scholars to tell me about the duality of noses

Ohohohoho!! Realism in 18th Century Art and Literature, you say?

Please tell me there's a bit about Goya in that syllabus

Additionally, get that president's ass

The artwork will be entirely Tray's decision.

But probably. I find it hard to not include Goya during that time period.

excellent

Yeass

Our EVENT was TODAY.

And the SPEAKER was not told about any of the bullshit in the background.

It was WELL ATTENDED. We had the bookstore offer 25 copies of his book for sale and HE SOLD OUT OF THEM ALL.

The President STILL HASN'T RESPONDED to Senate's request.

MY DEAN told me that he was GLAD THAT I SENT MY LETTER and he felt that WE NEED TO HAVE CLEAR GUIDELINES IN PLACE so that THIS CANNOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

My dean has gone up like 3 levels in my estimation.

From "I guess he's fine" to "okay he actually does want his faculty to be supported and safe"

I'm glad you sent that letter, too

That's awesome

There is A Response.

Everyone will now be required to read a TRIGGER WARNING (lololol) before every guest speaker on campus.

That will read something along the lines of "speakers may present a variety of ideas, you are not required to affirm any of them" which

Sure

lol

And we are Assured that This Will Not Happen Again if we Say The Magic Words for guests brought to campus with general funds money.

And we're ALSO assure that Everyone Will Have To Do This.

And I am pressing on that to make sure that like, when Jumbles McGrunglot, famous Nashville Music Man who went to JSU for 3 semesters, is brought to graduation to be the Commencement Speaker, that even Jumbles will have to be given a Trigger warning.

I am also pressing to get a formal appology.

For doing a discrimination.