The president of Antioch College criticized Governor Mike DeWine on Monday for signing Senate Bill 104 (SB 104), which prohibits students from using the school bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity.
“Policies like the one just signed into law harm all of us. When we allow discriminatory laws to take root, we all lose,” President Jane Fernandes said in letter to the editor of The Columbus Dispatch.
On November 27, DeWine signed SB 104 into law.
“It is essential that we reject policies like SB 104 that harm vulnerable populations and instead embrace policies that promote inclusivity, respect and understanding.”
“There are already models in other states and countries where public spaces are designed to be safe and accessible to everyone, regardless of gender identity,” she continued. “It’s time to move beyond fear and misinformation, and to recognize that all people, regardless of their gender identity, deserve to live freely and without fear of discrimination or violence.”
According to the Movement Advancement Project, North Dakota, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama also disallow transgender students from “using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in K-12 schools and at least some government-owned buildings.”
Florida and Utah are the only two states that prevent “transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in all government-owned buildings and spaces, including K-12 schools, colleges, and more,” according to the Movement Advancement Project.
In her letter to the editor, Fernandes (pictured above), who is deaf, also said these laws “set a dangerous precedent” and make it easier to marginalize groups.
“In the long run, a society that denies basic human dignity to one group of people diminishes the rights of all people,” she said.
Furthermore, Fernandes said “[w]e must protect people’s rights and dignity.”
“We all deserve the freedom to thrive and be our authentic selves, and that includes transgender Ohioans,” the president added.
Fernandes has a history of social justice activism as a college president. In 2018, as president of Guilford College, she joined the Presidents’ Alliance for Higher Education and Immigration, advocating for protecting DACA recipients from deportation.
“Joining the Alliance gives Guilford College a structured way to advocate for international students, immigrants, DACA individuals … to ensure that they are allowed to come to this country to study and live,” said Fernandes. “In the case of people with DACA, (we want) to ensure they have a path to naturalized citizenship.
At Guilford College, students applying can leave their “information blank related to documentation and social security and it will [not] impact your consideration for admissions.”
Also, while at Guilford College, Fernandes appointed its first vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Furthermore, she developed a “diversity strategic plan and addressed gender equity in athletic facilities, teams, funding, and programs.”
Fernandes was the president of Guilford College from 2014 to 2021.
She has been the president of Antioch College since 2021. For the 2023-2024 school year, Antioch College’s tuition was $44,783.
Like Guilford College, Antioch College “does not consider national origin or Citizenship when considering applications for admission.”
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Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network. Email tips to Zachery at [email protected]. Follow Zachery on Twitter @zacheryschmidt2.
Photo “Jane Fernandes” by Antioch College.
