English Department Statement in support of the LGBTQA+ Community and Transgender Rights

The English Department’s mission is deeply informed by a sense of social justice and unequivocal affirmation of diversity and inclusion; for this reason we want to reiterate our commitment to the LGBTQA community. Our department was among the first in the country to offer courses on gay and lesbian literature -- the Crompton-Noll Award, a national prize given by the Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the Modern Language Association, is named in honor of Louis Crompton, the UNL English professor and pioneer in LGBTQA scholarship. Today, our LGBTQA graduates are shaping the literary culture: emily danforth’s award-winning novel, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, has been adapted into a forthcoming film starring Chloë Grace Moertz; Nick White’s new novel, How to Survive a Summer, will be published by Penguin Random House in June; SJ Sindu’s novel, Marriage of a Thousand Lies, will also be out in June, from Soho Press. Crucially, the department has worked closely with the LGBTQA+ Resource Center. And we’re in the process of introducing an extended curriculum of LGBTQA study, as part of an undergraduate concentration. Because of this history of inclusion and our support of the rights and safety of our students, we installed gender inclusive bathrooms during the latest renovation of Andrews Hall. Our faculty is proud of our decades-long commitment to the intellectual development and professional guidance of our LGBTQA students, and our provision of safe spaces for learning in Andrews Hall.