To the Editor:

We the undersigned are extremely disturbed that on the night of Monday December 5, during a talk hosted by a Yeshiva University student group, Ben Shapiro mocked transgender people-- and drew applause and laughter from a packed audience in Lamport Auditorium. Shapiro is not an expert on transgender experience or mental health, and his opinion does not reflect the current understanding of these very serious issues, in which people’s lives are literally at stake. Public humiliation of others has no place at any university, much less one whose motto includes the word Torah. We are surprised that we need to remind this university community that Jewish tradition condemns the derision of another human being. Moreover, while we encourage our students to seek out diverse opinions, we also hope they would stand up against discrimination and disrespect.

As university faculty, we are committed to protecting the dignity and the safety of all—and to speaking out when the vulnerable among us are threatened. We call on the University administration to join us in our condemnation of this behavior.

Sincerely,

Silke Aisenbrey, Sociology

Jamie Aroosi, Political Science

Barbara Blatner, English

Anna Lisa Cohen, Psychology

Gabriel Cwilich, Physics

Jonathan Dauber, Jewish Studies

Steven Fine, Jewish Studies

Lauren Fitzgerald, English

Jeff Freedman, History

Paula Geyh, English

Stephen Glicksman, Psychology

Scott Goldberg, Education (Azrieli Graduate School)

Sumanta Goswami, Biology

Joan Haahr, English (Emerita)

Shalom Holtz, Jewish Studies

Jenny Isaacs, Psychology

Joanne Jacobson, English

Dan Kimmel, Sociology

Aaron Koller, Jewish Studies

David Lavinsky, English

Rachel Mesch, English

Jess Olson, Jewish Studies

Ronnie Perelis, Jewish Studies

Samuel Schneider, Jewish Studies

Liesl Schwabe, English

Josefa Steinhauer, Biology

William Stenhouse, History

Elizabeth Stewart, English