Statement: Campus Organizations Will Not Tolerate Bigotry

Note From the Editorial Board: A recent submission in the Daily Bruin stated that the Bruin Republicans neither condone nor condemn the actions of their members. We urge them to make a statement definitively regarding their members’ behaviors as such actions reify structures of oppression that affect marginalized communities.

Recently, we have witnessed an upsurge of transphobic and misogynistic bigotry on this campus in the form of a certain viral photograph and an upcoming antifeminist event.  We strongly condemn these actions of the Bruin Republicans, whose members are responsible. The display of transphobic sentiments from their members and the choice to bring hateful antifeminist Milo Yiannopoulos to the UCLA campus create a hostile environment at UCLA. While we respect all campus groups’ right to free speech, we in turn have the right to advocate against actions that harm us and our communities.

Their members’ statements on gender identity not only invalidate people’s lived experiences, but also are simply untrue. They have attacked trans and gender-nonconforming people’s rights to exist on campus and to use a bathroom without being threatened. This creates an exclusionary and marginalizing effect that we as a community cannot tolerate. These Bruin Republicans have directly violated UCLA’s True Bruin Values and Principles of Community, which clearly state that the university does not tolerate acts of discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

Furthermore, their upcoming event, “Feminism is Cancer,” is another attack on marginalized students. The speaker, Milo Yiannopoulos, is known to condone misogynistic violence and uses hateful rhetoric that targets feminist activists. This event enables an invalidating environment which mocks the very real experiences of feminists and marginalized students, faculty, and staff on campus, and also mocks their work as activists. Additionally, to bring a speaker who equates feminism with cancer under the guise of a discussion is not only deceptive, but also an insensitive jab at everyone whose lives have been affected by cancer.

It is important to note that these hostile actions have lasting negative effects on the student body. We as a larger community should not tolerate this kind of behavior. The members of Bruin Republicans might believe that they were simply expressing their political opinion, but such expressions reinforce and perpetuate long histories of violent oppression and adversity faced by marginalized communities. We must show support and solidarity with the communities targeted by their hateful conduct.

Signed,
FEM Newsmagazine
Pacific Ties Newsmagazine
OutWrite Newsmagazine
La Gente Newsmagazine
Al-Talib Newsmagazine
Campus Events Commission
Cultural Affairs Commission
Asian Pacific Coalition
V-Day Coalition
Bruin Consent Coalition
Chai Talks at UCLA
Muslim Student Association
American Indian Student Association
South Indian Project
Indian Student Union
Vietnamese Student Union
Pakistani Student Association
Mixed Student Union
Samahang Pilipino
The Westwood Enabler

If you have any questions about this statement or want further information, you can contact FEM Newsmagazine at [email protected]