Professor Claims Sexual Harassment After Receiving Email from Pro-LGBT Student Group

Texas A&M Faculty Member Posts Hateful Response to Announcement from Aggie Allies 

A professor at Texas A&M University is accusing a campus group for LGBT allies of “sexual harassment” for sending him an email announcing an upcoming workshop. 

Aggie Allies, a group for students, faculty and staff who commit to providing a safe space for LGBT people, sent the email to its LISTSERV last week announcing the training workshop next month. 

“Please note that we will be running an Aggie Ally workshop on July 13 from 9am-12noon,” the group wrote. “Workshop will be held in the TRC. Please remember that only drinks with lids and small snacks are permitted in the TRC.”

Among those who received the email was Kenneth C. Williamson III, a professor in the school’s College of Architecture, Department of Construction Science. Rather than simply deleting the message or unsubscribing from the LISTSERV, Wiliamson hit “reply all” and wrote: “Do not send me anymore [SIC] messages dealing with this organization. Take me out of your list. I consider it obscene and a form of sexual harassment.”

User “klaykid123” proceeded to post Williamson’s reply to Reddit, where it has generated nearly 150 comments, including some that are supportive of Williamson. 

Jeffrey Lieu, president of Aggie Allies, says the incident underscores the need for the 23-year-old group. 

“Texas A&M has made significant strides towards improving campus climate and equity for its diverse students, faculty, and staff,” Lieu told KAGS-TV. “But there is clearly still a lot more work that needs to be done in these areas.”

Texas A&M has repeatedly made The Princeton Review‘s list of the nation’s most LGBT-unfriendly colleges, coming in at No. 13 in the most recent edition. And GOP state lawmakers have repeatedly tried, although unsuccessfully, to defund the school’s LGBT resource center. 

Texas A&M has over 58,000 students. The College of Architecture has an entire section on its website devoted to supporting diversity.

According to KAGS-TV, the university had no comment on Williamson’s email. We can’t help but wonder if the administration’s response would be the same if the email been directed toward a campus group for Hispanics or Muslims. 

 

Texas A&M image via Facebook