A sign stating “women are property” and another sign reading “Homo sex is sin” at Texas State University gained significant attention and went viral the day after Donald Trump’s election victory.
Photos of two men with the controversial signs at the San Marcos Campus have been shared online, also showing that protest struck after the uproar on the campus. A spokesperson informed CBS Austin reporter Jahmal Kennedy that neither of the men holding the signs is connected to Texas State University.
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The statement read: “Texas State University’s (TXST) highest priority is the safety of our students, staff, and faculty at all times. As a public institution, TXST supports the First Amendment and is required by state law to uphold freedom of speech in public areas on our campuses, even if such speech may understandably offend some members of our campus community. We have established policies and protocols that allow individuals to safely engage in expressive activity on university property conducted within institutional regulations.
“The incident on the San Marcos Campus today (Thursday) was instigated by individuals who have to TXST affiliation.”
According to Newsweek, the publication reached out to Texas State University for more information via email, they were referred to an Instagram post by the university’s president, Dr. Kelly Damphousse.
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He wrote: “This is going to come out a little raw, I think, but it’s just something that needs to be said. It hasn’t been vetted by anyone and it’s not an official response. It just coming from my heart – which aches today.
“On Wednesday, at least two men who are not affiliated with TXST came on to our campus. I have seen pictures of the disgusting signs that they held, and I have heard that they were also saying objectionable things to our students.
“Over the course of my 30-year career in higher education, I have seen incidents like this take place on every campus where I have served. Similar events have occurred on other Texas campuses this week as well. I know how unsettling this must have been for our students, their friends/family, our employees, and our alumni who were in the quad at the time, or who later saw the pictures that I saw after the fact.”
He went on: “I hated to hear about what happened because I know this event surely caused a wide range of emotions amongst the members of our Bobcat family, including fear, anxiety, and anger. This was particularly disturbing to me because nothing is more important to me than the health and safety of our faculty, staff, and students.
“I continue to gather information from those who witnessed what happened Wednesday. Later today, I will send our campus community an email that outlines what happened and how the university responded to the incident. I will also explain what the university has done (and will continue to do) to keep our campus safe. I just finished the second draft this morning.”
Dr. Damphousse added: “I am very sad that this type of behavior came to our campus because it runs so contrary to the values that we hold at TXST – in particular, that we respect and value others and that we believe that all Bobcats belong here. Messages like the ones expressed by those outsiders sow confusion, anger, distrust, bitterness, fear, and anxiety (none of which belong on our campus). I remain committed to doing everything I can to keep our campus safe. If you see anything on our campus that makes you feel unsafe, please reach out to UPD to let them know about it. As ever, please feel welcome to reach out to me directly. I am here to serve you.”