Students boycott class after professor declares there are only two sexes
Students walked out of University of Southern Maine professor Christy Hammer’s class on Sept. 14 after she reportedly stated there are only two biological sexes.
A petition in support of Hammer collected over 1,500 signatures.
Students walked out of University of Southern Maine (USM) professor Christy Hammer’s class on Sept. 14 after she reportedly said that there are only two biological sexes.
The students alleged the comment was “inaccurate and transphobic,” the Bangor Daily News reports.
After Hammer reportedly refused to retract her statement during a restorative justice meeting, students threatened to boycott class until she is replaced.
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A petition supporting Hammer was created by Jennifer Gingrich to USM Teacher Education Department Chair Flynn Ross. It currently has over 1,500 signatures.
The petition calls on USM to “support” Hammer and “biological fact.”
“A university that cannot teach facts because students find them too hard to handle is useless as an educational institution,” the petition reads. “We the undersigned ask USM President Jacqueline Edmondson, Interim Provost Adam Tuchinsky and Chair of the Teacher Education Department Flynn Ross to stand firmly behind Professor Hammer and issue a public statement to the effect that she will neither be replaced nor required to stop stating the fact that sex in humans is binary.”
While the comment mirrors Republican values, Hammer publicly criticized Capitalism in a 2016 tweet.
— christy hammer (@christylhammer) August 6, 2016
“Feeling Sad and Depressed?” her pinned tweet reads. “Are you anxious? Worried about the future? Feeling isolated and alone? You might be suffering from CAPITALISM.”
The tweet also included “symptoms” of capitalism such as homelessness, unemployment, and poverty.
Campus Reform contacted USM and every individual mentioned for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
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