A conservative activist backed by Ron Desantis was named in a civil rights complaint against a Florida university after confusing an educator who used the pronouns ze/zir.
The Biden administration’s Department of Education opened an investigation into New College of Florida after receiving a complaint last month alleging that the school board has created a “hostile” environment for transgender and disabled students and staff.
The complaint, received by the DOE Office of Civil Rights on August 24, names Board of Trustees member Christopher Rufo, who was appointed to the New College board of trustees by DeSantis in January.
It alleges that Rufo, who is also a member of the Manhattan Institute, targeted specific students, parents and staff with “sexist and transphobic taunts.”
In one incident, the right-wing activist allegedly “mocked and gender-smeared” New College Office of Outreach and Inclusive Excellence (OOIE) Director Yoleidy Rosario-Hernández after “ze was summarily fired,” according to a copy of the complaint. shared by Rufo in his Substack.
Yoleidy Rosario-Hernández, New College’s OOIE director, was allegedly mocked by Rufo after being fired from the school.Facebook
Ze is a neopronoun, which is a form of personal pronoun preferred by some non-binary people who do not feel that conventional pronouns (including they) accurately represent their gender identity.
In a March post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Rufo shared that his colleague had a preferred pronoun before referring to zir “she” and “her” in the following sentence.
“New College of Florida has fired its former DEI director, Yoleidy Rosario-Hernández (“ze/zir”), after abolishing her department,” Rufus wrote.
“Rosario Hernández attacked me in the Washington Post, but I wish her the best and hope she takes advantage of the opportunity to develop useful skills.”
In a March post on
Rufo is also named in the complaint for allegedly claiming that LGBTQ+ people have “synthetic sexual political identities” and that transgender people have “personal psychopathologies.”
“Administrator Rufo mocks transgender students, calls New College students mentally ill, and blames their mothers,” the complaint states.
The complaint cites a host of other “hostilities” against marginalized groups at New College, including the removal of gender-neutral bathroom signs and the abolition of the college’s diversity program.
The board is also being accused of being “openly hostile toward New College students, faculty and staff on the basis of race, gender, religion and disability.”
“New College of Florida has fired its former DEI director, Yoleidy Rosario-Hernández (“ze/zir”), after abolishing her department,” Rufo wrote on X.LinkedIn
Rufo criticized the investigation on Friday, insisting that the allegations were baseless and would not go through a formal investigation.
“This is a blatant attempt to subvert the democratic governance of New College and entrench left-wing ideological programs under the guise of civil rights laws,” he wrote in his Substack newsletter.
“The Biden Administration has repeatedly demonstrated that it is willing to use the federal law enforcement apparatus as a weapon against school board parents and other conservative reformers.”
The Post has contacted the New School and the US Department of Education.
DeSantis appointed Rufo and six other conservatives to New College’s board of trustees in January as part of an effort to eradicate critical race theory and “woke” ideology from state schools.
DeSantis appointed Rufo and six other conservatives to New College’s board of trustees in January as part of an effort to eradicate critical race theory and “woke” ideology from public schools.
At the time, the presidential candidate said he hoped to turn the small liberal arts school into “Hillsdale College of the South,” a private, conservative Christian school in Michigan.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn