This summer after traveling to Indiana to visit my 90-year-old mother, I came down the drive to Alexander and Adelaide Hall and saw that the Pride Flag in my office window had been removed.  Although I had known this might happen – since the flag violated SPU’s newly adopted Display Policy – it still was a shock and broke my heart.  Unfortunately, my flag was not the only symbol of support for Queer students on our campus that was removed this summer.

For the last several years, I’ve displayed that flag in my window to communicate to students that there was a place of welcome on our campus for everyone.  Seeing the empty window felt like my voice had been silenced.  I feared students returning to SPU this September would notice the flag was gone and conclude they were no longer welcome on our campus – or not as welcome as some others, or that I no longer supported them.

The administration has stated that the flag was not the problem but that external windows could no longer be used for displays of any kind.  The removal of the flag from my office window, however, has created an ambiguously blank space that may cause misunderstanding and pain.

I want to communicate clearly: my desire to welcome, support, and empower all members of our community, including Queer students, has not changed and I know that many faculty and staff share this commitment.  I pray that throughout this year, we will find ways to communicate this message and embody it on our campus, so that no one feels alienated from this place or from the love of the God who created them in God’s own image.