George Mason University announced Thursday that Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin will be the commencement speaker for the graduating class of 2023 in EagleBank Arena on May 18.
Senior Alaina Ruffin launched a Change.org petition in response to and to protest Youngkin’s speech.
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“As a Patriot and prospective alumna of George Mason University, I and my peers do not want the memories of our graduation day to be tainted by an individual who has harmed and continues to harm the people he serves,” Ruffin wrote in her petition.
She went on in her petition to describe the choice of the Republican governor as “harmful” and “disrespectful to the many students who continuously shape GMU’s community to bring in an individual who has also neglected the needs of Virginians.”
“Selecting a speaker that has passed anti-trans legislation, promoted the abolishment of racial equity curricula, and restricted the availability of literature in public schools is an intentional target towards historically marginalized communities comprising Mason,” Ruffin wrote.
The progressive group Black, African-Heritage, and Caribbean Coalition (BLACC Mason) joined in on rejecting Youngkin’s pick.
“It is our responsibility as members of this community to stand up against bigotry and intolerance,” BLACC MASON wrote on Instagram. “We must demand that our administration acts and removes Youngkin as the commencement speaker. We cannot allow our university to provide a platform for someone who actively promotes discrimination and hate.”
They signed off their Instagram note with “In Discontentment, Outraged Students of George Mason University.”
On Friday, GMU’s student government released its own press release stating that they are “deeply saddened and concerned” about the university’s selection for commencement speaker.
“The Youngkin administration has supported and created policies attacking transgender youth, racial and ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals. George Mason University’s current motto stands as, ‘fostering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’; however, the actions of the Youngkin administration demonstrate their commitment to the opposite,” the student body leaders wrote. “To host Glenn Youngkin at our spring commencement is not only a betrayal towards every minority group on campus, but it also amplifies their hypocrisy and dishonesty from Mason’s administration itself.”
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The petition has 5,278 signatures.
The invite to Youngkin as a sitting Virginia governor is tradition for George Mason commencements. Past governors who have spoken at GMU’s commencement include Jim Gilmore, Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, and Terry McAuliffe.
