As they chanted ‘trans lives matter,’ students, staff and community members demanded an apology from the University of Pittsburgh, shutting down the intersection of Bigelow and Forbes in Oakland.
A couple of blocks away from the demonstration, a student group - the Pitt chapter of Turning Point USA - hosted an event with a former collegiate athlete, Riley Gaines, who advocates for athletes competing in men’s and women’s sports based on their assigned gender at birth. Protesters have condemned her rhetoric as transphobic.
While the University of Pittsburgh did not condone the event, it was not canceled. In a statement administrators said student organizations are permitted to invite speakers, “including highly provocative ones – to campus without university administration deciding what is acceptable and what is not.”
The protesters, organized by a the Pittsburgh Coalition to Protect Trans Lives, called for accountability, a series of mandatory cultural competency training for staff and faculty, and to, “actively educate students on why this rhetoric is harmful and why trans healthcare is important.”
The PGH-PTL is a collective of Black-led trans, non-binary and queer community members formed by Pittsburgh-based Trans YOUniting with Pitt students and alumni. Speakers during the rally said they feel unsafe and ignored by the university.
Pitt student Lily, who is trans, says the speaker's rhetoric is hurtful. They wanted to support trans people specifically a protest led by Black trans people. WESA is only using their first name to protect their privacy.
“It’s just really disappointing seeing what’s happening at Pitt, and it’s really painful to see a lack of change even after students asked for that,” they said. “So I wanted to complain about it somewhere out loud.”
Inside the O’Hara Student Center, some people challenged Gaines’ viewpoints. Gaines said while she’s been called transphobic, she supports trans people, “competing with your sex.” Gaines tied for fifth in the NCAA's swimming and diving championship last year with University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a transgender woman. During her talk at Pitt, Gaines repeatedly referred to Thomas as a biological male and used Thomas’ former name – also known as deadnaming.
Gabby Yearwood, a teaching professor in the department of anthropology, is teaching a course on the anthropology of sport and told Gaines she was discrediting her own athletic training by equating testosterone to athletic ability.
Gaines retorted that there’s a performance gap between men and women that can be measured beyond testosterone.
Others who opposed Gaines told her during a question and answer session that her rhetoric further marginalizes trans people as they listed suicide statistics.
Liliana Orozco the president of Pitt’s chapter of Turning Point USA said she was encouraged by the discourse.
“Because how are we ever going to be able to understand each other or even try to make a common ground if there’s no questions, no civil discussion,” she said. “I’m proud of the people that came and I thank them for coming, honestly, because I think that’s where it starts. We don’t have to hate each other.”
Another student group, College Republicans, is hosting an event next month advertised as a debate on “transgenderism and womanhood.”
Students who call the event transphobic say they’ll be back to protest.
