After much outcry, Gettysburg College officially postponed an event which was meant for participants to complain about being “Tired of White cis men.”
For context, cis men in layman’s terms is defined as heterosexual, straight men.
Fox News reported that the event was hosted by its Gender Sexuality and Resource Center and it was offered as a part of a peace and justice senior student project. The event was supposed to take place on November 12, but it was postponed when a flyer and description were posted online on the social media platform Instagram. Attendees were invited to “come paint and write about” how they are tired of straight, white men. The paintings and writings would be displayed in the college’s dining hall for public viewing.
A Gettysburg College spokesperson said that the “College became aware of a flyer posted by students on the afternoon of November 10th” and the “flyer advertised a senior project conducted by a student in the Peace and Justice Program.” The spokesperson also pointed out that the flyer “was made for a student project and was never endorsed by the College or by Peace and Justice studies.” The faculty in the program, according to the spokesperson, “have asked the student to reflect on their objectives and restructure their project accordingly.”
The college spokesperson added that the “event is no longer taking place as scheduled or initially constructed and the flyers have been removed” and the faculty told the student to review “guidelines for posting flyers advertising events on campus.”
As if to excuse the postponed event, the spokesperson added, “In any community of our size, there will be a wide range of views…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.”
In other words, the student may not have consulted the program to receive approval for the event and the posting of the flyer, but the college does not apologize for the content of the event. It is unclear whether the student received approval for the event prior to making and posting the flyer and whether this is a public about-face due to pressure and criticism.
The small liberal arts college is located in southern Pennsylvania near the Maryland border and it has historical significance in U.S. history. During the U.S. Civil War, a three-day battle took place in and around the town from July 1-3, 1863 and it resulted in over 50,000 total casualties. Generally speaking, several historians agreed that the battle it turned the tide of the war in the Union’s favor and put the Confederacy on its heels until its surrender in 1865.
