Act of intolerance involving LGBTQ+ faculty member
A faculty member in the THRS department was targeted because of their sexual orientation
Tyler Pugmire / News Editor
An act of intolerance targeted a member of the LGBTQ+ community and faculty member in the University of San Diego’s Theology and Religious Studies Department (THRS) on Sept. 22.
Emily Reimer-Barry, Ph.D., chair of the THRS department, detailed the act of intolerance in a written statement.
“A sign identifying a member of the THRS faculty because of the faculty member’s sexual orientation, asking why the faculty member is employed by USD, was found on the Maher Hall bulletin board on September 22 and immediately removed,” Reimer-Barry said.
The suspect is not directly associated with USD, according to Chief of Public Safety James Miyashiro. He confirmed that the suspects will face consequences if convicted. Those that are suspected of the crime have been issued nontrespassing orders.
Because the investigation is ongoing and active, Public Safety is unable to disclose more details.
In her statement, Reimer-Barry explicitly stated that the Catechism of the Catholic Church should not be targeted as a weapon of hate and that the THRS department is working to foster a more inclusive and diverse learning environment on campus in accordance with the university’s mission.
“I am proud to lead the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Diego and stand in solidarity with my colleagues against hate, bigotry, and intolerance,” Reimer-Barry’s statement said.
USD did not notify students of this act of intolerance. In the past, Public Safety has notified students of other acts of intolerance on campus, such as when stickers bearing the logo of a white supremacist group were found on campus during Spring 2020. Miyashiro explained that students were not notified because there was no direct threat toward any student, as there have been with other past acts of intolerance on campus. Faculty were also not notified, but those in the THRS department were made aware of this incident.
This act of intolerance in the THRS department comes a year after a THRS professor allegedly made threats against at least four other professors.
This is the fourth act of intolerance at USD in two years. In Spring 2019, an individual called the number of the Center for Inclusion and Diversity and used repeated racial slurs, and another vandalized the all-gender restroom on the fourth floor of the Student Life Pavilion. At the beginning of Spring 2020, stickers bearing the logo The Patriot Front, a known white supremacist group, were found on campus.
In addition to the three other acts of intolerance, a first-year student was the victim of a hate crime on campus because of their gender last fall. Miyashiro does not believe any of the acts of intolerance or hate crime are connected.
Anyone with relevant information is asked to contact the Department of Public Safety at (619) 260-7777 or email publicsafety@sandiego.edu.