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Clemson University’s College Republicans condemned a drag show staged Saturday as part of LGBTQ+ pride week celebrations, prompting outrage among students and a tepid response from the administration.
On Sunday, the Clemson College Republicans posted an “official statement” on Instagram, describing the annual drag show as “chock-full of sexual degeneracy that spits in the face of the Christian population” attending Clemson. “Many of the event’s participants promote transgenderism and other deviant forms of sexual licentiousness,” it continued.
The post earned a swift backlash from students. More than 6,000 people left comments, most of them angry. Students also started a Change.org petition to get the College Republicans banned from campus.
“This group poses a threat to the student body, and they are tarnishing the reputation of this University,” the petition reads. “If the CU Administration choose not to take action and ban this club, and reprimand the students responsible for this post, they are blatantly showing that they don’t care about this student body. Will they turn a blind eye to transphobia and hate speech? Or will they show this student body that they do care for us?”
In a message to students, Christopher Miller, vice president and dean of students, wrote, “There have been comments regarding events in the past year, most recently surrounding Pride Week, which could be deemed as inflammatory or hostile … We are a collective group of unique individuals worthy of care and consideration and I encourage us all to be thoughtful in our interactions with each other that could be deemed hateful and disrespectful to one’s particular viewpoint.”
