A ‘Sick Joke’: LGBTQ+ Students Criticize Policy Mandating Adding ‘Griffin’ to LGBTQ@GSAS Club Name

Updated: October 10, 2023, at 2:12 a.m.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences was renamed for billionaire Kenneth C. Griffin ’89 following his $300 million donation in April — and soon, every recognized club at the school will also bear his name.

Current and former members of the LGBTQ@GSAS association denounced the name change, pointing to Griffin’s support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. But some students said the name change requirement is symptomatic of greater issues around LGBTQ+ inclusion at the school.

In March 2022, DeSantis’ administration passed legislation — dubbed by opponents as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill — prohibiting teaching topics around sexual orientation and gender identity from pre-K through third grade. Griffin has publicly supported the original bill, though in May, Griffin said through a spokesperson that he disagreed with a new version of the bill that applies to education through 12th grade.

According to the 2023-24 GSAS student group handbook, student organizations must modify their name by the Sept. 30 club renewal deadline to maintain official recognition.

The name of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences changed both formally and informally as part of the legal terms between Griffin and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, meaning that all student organizations must include “Griffin” in their names, according to a GSAS spokesperson.

Jessica W. Chen, the president of the Graduate Student Council, said student organizations were given “three options of the name change,” allowing for flexibility in how to include “Griffin” in the organization’s name.

Still, members of LGBTQ@GSAS said conversations are ongoing over whether the organization will abide by — or push back against — the naming requirements.

Noah J. Pinkham, a Ph.D. candidate in the History Department who previously served on the board of LGBTQ@GSAS, wrote in an email that the naming policy felt like a “sick joke.”

“The mandate to change the organization’s name is actually a perfect encapsulation of the long-standing dynamic between LGBTQ@GSAS and Harvard's administration,” Pinkham wrote. “Forcibly adding ‘Griffin’ to the organization’s name will only serve to make these dynamics all the more visible.”

“In other words, it tells queer and trans graduate students exactly how Harvard feels about us, and where our lives, dignity, and safety fall on its scale of institutional priorities,” they added.

Pinkham also wrote that because of LGBTQ@GSAS’ affiliation with the GSAS Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Office, the group had “very little latitude to criticize Harvard’s retrograde approach to supporting queer student life or enact any meaningful institutional change.”

Students criticized a policy requiring student groups to renamed to include 'Griffin' after the GSAS renaming. By Frank S. Zhou

Ashley E. Cavanagh, a fifth-year graduate student and the president of LGBTQ@GSAS, said the required name change is “quite frustrating” because Griffin is a “known anti-LGBTQ figure.”

GSAS spokesperson Bailey V. Snyder wrote in a statement that the school “believes that student groups are critical to the graduate student experience and values true partnerships.”

“The Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging (EDIB) is committed to creating a welcoming community among all students. Trained staff works closely with student leaders from multiple student groups, providing administrative support and serving in an advisory capacity,” she wrote.

Snyder also wrote that in addition to providing funding, GSAS offers “grant-writing support, professional development opportunities” and supports clubs “through attendance at meetings and events.”

In a May statement, Jaquelyn M. Scharnick ’06, a spokesperson for Griffin and former Crimson News editor, wrote that Griffin is a “passionate supporter of individual rights and freedoms.”

“Ken has supported candidates from both parties whom he believes advances these important values and has both publicly and privately engaged with politicians from both parties who undermine them,” Scharnick wrote.

Pinkham wrote in the email that they believe the GSAS administration tokenizes the experiences of queer students at the school, pointing to social media profiles and pride flags in Lehman Hall, the GSAS student center.

“As the mismatch between what GSAS says about its support for queer students and what it does in practice became increasingly clear to me, I no longer felt comfortable being trotted as proof of the institution’s purported commitment to sexual and gender ‘diversity,’” Pinkham wrote. “I ultimately made the decision to leave LGBTQ@GSAS and direct my energy into organizing with HGSU and trans organizations unaffiliated with Harvard.”

Cavanagh said she feels the abrupt name change suggests that “Harvard doesn’t prioritize GSAS and isn’t really thinking about the needs of the GSAS community,” pointing to a “lack of transparency” about how the donation will benefit students.

“There are a lot of folks within GSAS who are the direct people that I reach out to with these sorts of concerns, and I think they are amazing, and they really hear students and understand, but sadly, there’s nothing they can do,” Cavanagh said.

In an October statement following the publication of this article, Scharnick wrote that a “more inclusive society arises from building bridges and understanding one another.”

“Willful ignorance and manifestly false vitriolic character attacks under the guise of seeking respect are the definition of hypocrisy,” Scharnick wrote. “Such behavior fuels the hatred and closed-mindedness that is tearing apart the fabric of our society and threatening our democracy.”

Scharnick also criticized The Crimson’s reporting, stating, “Succinctly, this story is a ‘Sick Joke’ and makes a mockery of the Harvard Crimson’s Mission and Ethical Code.”

In response, Crimson President Cara J. Chang ’24 wrote that The Crimson is “dedicated to serving our readers by reporting with accuracy, integrity, and objectivity.”

“Our reporters and editors strive to uphold these standards in all our reporting, in this subject and all others,” she wrote.

—Staff writer Tilly R. Robinson contributed reporting.

—Staff writer Hana Rostami can be reached at hana.rostami@thecrimson.com.