A university in Pennsylvania has warned its students that "action could be taken" if they fail to use their classmates' preferred pronouns.
The Point Park University student body recently received an email from the school's Office of Equity and Inclusion highlighting its Misgendering, Pronoun Misuse, and Deadnaming Policy. According to the correspondence, a copy of which was obtained by Campus Reform, "any individual who has been informed of another person’s gender identity, pronouns, or chosen name is expected to respect that individual."
If a complaint regarding this policy were to be filed, "action could be taken."
"While the University recognizes the aspect of intent versus impact, we must recognize that regardless of the intent, if an individual is impacted in a harmful way, action could be taken if a complaint is filed," the email further stated.
In a comment to Campus Reform, Louis Corsaro, Point Park University’s managing director of university marketing and public relations, said the school "expects every member of its community - students, faculty and staff - to treat each other with respect."
It is unclear what the nature of the "action" that might be taken is, and although Point Park University’s Student Government President Dennis McDermott said he did not know the "exact details of the policy" but assumed that any violation, which in this instance applied to misgendering, misuse of pronouns, or incorrectly using someone’s deadname when you are aware of their preferred name and pronouns, could result in "a similar action to any act of discrimination against students on campus."
McDermott said he supported the policy. Others were not on board though.
Logan Dubil, a student at the university told Fox News the school’s policies, "go against many students’ belief systems, especially conservative students."
"Personally, I believe in the science. There are two sexes and two genders: male and female," Dubil said. "The policies in question force me to go against my beliefs. The fact that I can be disciplined by failing to follow policies that violate my conscience is concerning."
Cherise Trump, executive director of Speech First, told Fox News that forcing students "to profess beliefs against their will is inconsistent with the freedom of thought and expression that the University claims to promote."
"The university has prioritized students’ feelings over their rights and has turned some students into second-class citizens as a result," Trump said.
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