Transphobic comments made by alumnus Bill Schulz

Our View:

Remarks are unacceptable and reflect poorly on college,As reported in this week’s Beacon, viewers of the Fox News program “Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld” were presented with some pretty disturbing remarks regarding the first legally-recognized pregnant male, Thomas Beatie. While the host continually insulted Beatie by refusing to use male pronouns to describe him during the segment, calling Beatie a “transgendered sideshow,” the most surprising insults were thrown by Emerson alumn Bill Schulz.

Schulz’s said, “Can we all agree that ‘Intact Vagina’ would be an awesome name for a band?” and “This little Ewok that she’s going to crap out might even have a third eye.”

He then went on to suggest that a reality show should follow the early life of the child before graphically describing how a female-to-male transgendered individual is able to have sex. Knowledge, he told the show’s viewers, he gained from a female acting major while attending Emerson College.

These words are disgustingly inappropriate and clearly misrepresent the Emerson community.

Emerson is known as one of the most liberal and tolerant schools in the nation, listed tenth on the Princeton Review’s list of schools where the “gay community [is] accepted.”

And this spot is well-deserved, especially after the public bathroom re-designations that garnered so much attention at the beginning of the school year, and recognizing the concerns of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender community through groups like EAGLE and positions like the SGA GLBT Commissioner.

Viewpoints held by alumni of such an accepting school paint a picture of a society plagued by much deeper issues. After graduating from Emerson-and clearly interacting with members of the GLBT community, acknowledged during his tirade during the segment-one would think he would exhibit a more tolerant viewpoint shared by many in our diverse community. Apparently not.

But it’s safe to say that Schulz’s views do not reflect those of the average Emersonian. A problem, then, arises when the public hears his remarks on air-or, by now, on YouTube. Will they believe his views reflect the College’s? And if indeed they do, our community can only suffer for it.

What if the next great filmmaker, novelist, or stage actor had his heart set on attending Emerson but then heard those remarks?

That student would perhaps choose a different school, either afraid of being outcast himself or unwilling to shun a community by association. And in Emerson’s continuing effort to attract the best, most diverse students they can, alumni spewing such hatred in a public setting after name-dropping the college is surely counter-productive.

Schulz should be ashamed of himself.