The College Fix

Kenneth C. Williamson, an architecture professor at Texas A&M University, claims an email he received via the listserv of the campus LGBT support group Aggie Allies was “sexually harassing.”

The message had advertised an upcoming workshop:

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

According to The New Civil Rights Movement, instead of just deleting the message Williams 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.

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.

The New Civil Rights Movement might also consider what the response might be if the Aggie Ally email was sent to a Muslim campus group.

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