To the Editor:
We the undersigned are extremely disturbed that on the night of Monday December 5, during a talk hosted by a Yeshiva University student group, Ben Shapiro mocked transgender people– and drew applause and laughter from a packed audience in Lamport Auditorium. Shapiro is not an expert on transgender experience or mental health, and his opinion does not reflect the current understanding of these very serious issues, in which people’s lives are literally at stake. Public humiliation of others has no place at any university, much less one whose motto includes the word Torah. We are surprised that we need to remind this university community that Jewish tradition condemns the derision of another human being. Moreover, while we encourage our students to seek out diverse opinions, we also hope they would stand up against discrimination and disrespect.
As university faculty, we are committed to protecting the dignity and the safety of all—and to speaking out when the vulnerable among us are threatened. We call on the University administration to join us in our condemnation of this behavior.
Sincerely,
Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, English
Douglas Burgess, History
Stanley Dorn, Music
Roberta Rosenberg Farber, Sociology
Jeffrey Freedman, History
David Glaser, Music
Chaya Gorsetman, Education
Gina Grimaldi, English
Joy Ladin, English
Alison Matika, English
Matt Miller, English
Evan A. Mintzer, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Nora Nachumi, English
Seamus O’Malley, English
Ann Peters, English
Sara Pool, Beren Writing Center
Alexander Rysdon-Moulitsas, Fine Arts
Margaret Samu, Art History
Linda Shires, English
Sierra Tavasolian, Beren Writing Center
Mimi Weinberg, Art History
Marcia Young, Music
Marnin Young, Art History