Hanna Strong was not an isolated incident of bias on this campus. We, the executive board of Pride Union, greatly appreciate the swift response by Director of Athletics, Daryl Gross, to this example of blatant use of homophobic and racist slurs.

At the same time, we challenge all students, faculty, staff and administration to take a look around and see the amount of times this happens every day. Listen to those around you and realize that the things that Hanna Strong said were not an isolated case of bias. We encourage you all to take up these issues, even if they are not your own, because they affect everyone.

We encourage everyone to engage in discussions of race, sexuality, gender, ability, class and more, as well as the intersections between some and all of these identities. We believe that students should not have to pick one singular identity to define them, and this movement shouldn’t either. Going forward from this, we hope to engage in more dialogue about issues of bias and oppression, and that you all will join us.

Through this dialogue, we hope to incite change for students with marginalized identities on this campus, so that they may feel safe and supported by the entire campus community, and not just the communities they belong to. This movement begins with us. It begins with you. #SpeakUpSU #OUTspokenSU.

On behalf of the Pride Union Executive Board