Dear Collegian Editor,
We are writing on behalf of several Kenyon parents who are concerned about Senate Bill 104, signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine on Nov. 27, and slated to take effect at the end of next month. We are motivated, too, by the resurgence of anti-transgender policy-making and sentiment at the federal level, which has been emboldened and fueled by the shift to the new Trump presidency.
As Kenyon works to respond to SB 104, we understand that there is much work to be done, and that Kenyon’s administration is taking that work very seriously and is leading with its values. We also feel it is important to share our views and concerns with the Kenyon community — and to demonstrate our support for Kenyon’s transgender and nonbinary students in the strongest possible terms.
We deeply believe that the new Ohio law is anti-trans, anti-student, mean-spirited and misguided. In the past, Kenyon has done much to protect and welcome students of all gender identities. To step back from these protections would be wrong.
We are proud of the fact that, in 2018, Kenyon adopted the recommendations of the Trans Subcommittee of the LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee and created gender neutral bathrooms across campus. Adults on Kenyon’s campus are well equipped to make the best choices for themselves, whether it is to choose to use a single stall bathroom or to feel comfortable using a multi-stall bathroom where they may encounter people of many genders. As signers of this letter, we have encountered these options and felt comfortable doing so.
Given that we believe that SB 104 is discriminatory, in conversation with the Kenyon administration, we have asked that Kenyon invest the smallest number of resources possible to comply with this horrendous law.
We also hope and expect that Kenyon is pursuing connections with the other Ohio colleges that find this law to be discriminatory. We understand that standing alone could invite negative attention and consequences by state lawmakers and other SB 104 supporters. But if many colleges speak collectively about this unjust law, it can make a difference.
We’d like to know how Kenyon parents can help. We are concerned for students and the entire Kenyon community, and for the future of the College — and we are ready to act, either on our own or in collaboration with Kenyon students. We know that there is power in public engagement and action.
As the school approaches the late-February implementation deadline, Kenyon’s transgender and nonbinary students, prospective students and employees deserve to know that we see them, that we hear them and that we will speak out and act to support Kenyon in maintaining the culture of belonging that we are all so proud of.
Kind regards,
Patty Schmitz P’25 and Lisa Stulberg P’26 and ’28, on behalf of a broader group of concerned parents