Response to on-campus transphobic and anti-black hate speech and threats
November 18/2016
I would like to address the recent incidents of transphobic and anti-black hate speech and threats that have occurred on–campus because I see this as an important opportunity to examine DLSPH’s inclusivity practices and ensure we welcome and celebrate our diversity as a Faculty, leverage our collective strengths and look for opportunities for continuous improvement.
It is important to emphasize that equity and social responsibility are core values of the DLSPH. As a leading public health school, we can stimulate discussion about how to reduce disparities and address systemic issues related to discrimination based on biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or mental ability.
I support President Meric Gertler’s October 20, 2016 statement on Recent Acts of Anti-Semitism. I would also like to go further and share some ways that DLSPH is working towards addressing diversity in light of the recent letter and threats.
One way that the DLSPH will address diversity issues is through the Faculty-wide Diversity Committee that was established this summer and will be co-chaired by Arjumand Siddiqi, Associate Professor in the Division of Social and Behavioural Health Sciences and Rhonda Cockerill, Associate Director of the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IHPME). The Diversity Committee’s terms of reference will recognize transgender, racialized and sexual minority people and other populations whose unique perspectives, needs and challenges need to be addressed in Faculty-wide practices and policies including but not limited to: hiring, curriculum design, student support services and mentorship.
We asked the Public Health Student Association and the IHPME Graduate Student Association to help identify students who will work closely with faculty and staff on the committee to develop education and training opportunities. The committee’s first meeting will be held this fall and I encourage all students to bring ideas to the table on how to address these important issues.
We also have a number of faculty members who are examining social needs and addressing inequality through research and scholarship.
On Monday, November 21, DLSPH in partnership with the Mark S. Bonham Centre for Sexual Diversity Studies, U of T’s Sexual and Gender Diversity Office, the Public Health Students Association, and the Munk School’s Comparative Program on Health and Society, are hosting a special lecture and dialogue: Making Trans Health Count: Inclusion of Trans and Non-Binary Participants in Public Health Research. Professor Lori Ross is the DLSPH faculty lead for this event and I encourage all members of the DLSPH and U of T community to attend.
Another example is the Institute for Global Health Equity and Innovation (IGHEI), a university-wide entity that is housed at DLSPH. One of the Institute’s initiatives, Conversations that Matter, aims at providing a safe space to ask ‘unaskable’ questions and encourage discussion on taboo subjects, differences in opinion and robust dialogue.
Having already supported discussion on a variety of issues — including gender-based violence in immigrant/refugee communities and the equity of Canada’s refugee program — IGHEI seems well-positioned to orient a future Conversation that Matters to address the transphobic and anti-black sentiments evident in recent events.
Finally, I believe our Faculty needs to ensure that the DLSPH is a “safe space,” i.e., a place where anyone can relax and be able to fully express themselves without fear of being made to feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe on account of biological sex, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, cultural background, religious affiliation, age, or physical or mental ability.
Professor Adalsteinn Brown (Director of IHPME) and I agree that it is important for the School’s leaders to ensure members of our community feel comfortable approaching us on matters related to the well-being and safety of our community. We will make it a priority to create safe spaces at DLSPH for open and ongoing conversation.
I welcome all feedback on this issue (and more) and also encourage students, faculty, staff, alumni and partners to get involved in various DLSPH-wide committees, including the Diversity Committee, to ensure the School is actively fulfilling our equity and social responsibility values, among others.