Students at a New York university are calling for a professor to sacked after he produced a slide show using transphobic language during a lecture.
Officials at the State University of New York College at Geneseo are investigating a sociology professor after he asked students to complete a ‘female or shemale?’ quiz.
The offensive presentation was created by professor David Sorbello and encouraged students in his Sociology lecture to differentiate cisgender and transgender women pictured on screen.
Students at State University of New York College at Geneseo are calling for sociology professor David Sorbello to be fired after he produced a ‘female or shemale?’ quiz
Images of the lecture slide were shared by sociology student Jasmine Cui, who was appalled at her professor’s approach to trans issues.
Captioning the photo she wrote: ‘RT if you think the sociology department @SUNYGeneseo needs to rethink its approach to teaching about trans issues’.
The tweet received over 3,000 retweets and equal amount of likes as people took to twitter to express their outrage.
It remains unclear why Sorbello chose to include the quiz in the lecture but Jasmine later tweeted some of his comments during teaching.
Student Jasmine Cui shared photos for the lecture screen and called for the university to ‘rethink’ its approach to teaching transgender issues
Jasmine wrote: ‘the professor was quoted as saying: ‘so this is a lesson to you all not to get too drunk or you might take the wrong one home”.
She later added: ‘entertainment & social media are already rife with casual transphobia — to allow its proliferation in our education systems will only allow for its perpetuation. say it with me, PEOPLE ARE NOT PROPS.’
Responding to her tweets students commented to write ‘this is disgusting!’ and ‘completely unacceptable’.
As her tweet went viral students in Sorbello’s class later received an email instructing them not to use of phone in class.
Jasmine shared a screenshot of the email in question commenting ‘he knows he’s in the wrong’.
As her tweet went viral students in Sorbello’s class later received an email instructing them not to use of phone in class
Jillian Sternberg, a sophomore who took the photo shared by Jasmine, told Buzzfeed that the lecture topic was was gender, sexuality, and sexual identity, but she and fellow students were baffled by Sorbello’s reasoning for the quiz.
She told the news site: ‘He never said what the point of the quiz was during the class, but when I addressed him afterward he said it was partly for humor and partly to discuss sexual dimorphism.
‘He would comment on some of the pictures like, “I’m definitely not going to the bar with you.”‘
Other students have taken a stand against Sorbello with student Amelia Stachowiak creating a petition with the support of the SUNY Geneseo Student Association that calling for him to be sacked.
Geneseo President Denise Battles has made the following statement: ‘A situation that took place in a sociology classroom earlier this week has been brought to my attention and I felt the need to communicate to you about it, particularly as it pertains to our value of inclusivity.
‘A professor is reported to have presented materials and made comments about which some students have expressed concern. We are taking the matter very seriously and are gathering the facts to determine if and what action is warranted.
‘The classroom is an environment in which students and faculty can and should discuss challenging topics and ideas, which makes it all the more important that we gather and fully review the facts in this case.
‘As we review this situation, let me say unequivocally that SUNY Geneseo has a steadfast and uncompromising commitment to diversity and inclusivity. We work diligently to sustain an inviting and supportive environment for people of all gender identities, gender expressions, sexual orientations, races, religions and other identities.’