Minority protection

Make the University of Amsterdam a Safe Place for Non-Binary People

Petition is addressed to
UvA students and staff

574 signatures

Petitioner did not submit the petition.

574 signatures

Petitioner did not submit the petition.

  1. Launched January 2023
  2. Collection finished
  3. Submitted
  4. Dialogue
  5. Failed

Petition is addressed to: UvA students and staff

Support Non-Binary People at the University of Amsterdam by signing this Open Letter through this petition form!

Reason

To the Executive Board of the University of Amsterdam, 
Laurens Buijs has taken a hard line in his recent article in Folia by saying that the current culture at the University of Amsterdam leaves no room for criticism. However, the criticism he shares and wishes to share within the UvA contains claims that lack a scientific foundation. Buijs states the following: ''I see the phenomenon of 'non-binary' and the accompanying obsession with 'pronouns' as an empty hype'' (‘’Het verschijnsel ‘non-binair’ en de bijbehorende obsessie met ‘pronouns’ zie ik als een lege hype’’.)  A scientific debate about the validity of non-binarity is dismissive and most importantly harmful.
 Laurens Buijs is repeatedly using his platform as a social scientist to distribute hateful comments against non-binary people. He does so through social media platforms such as his blog and Twitter, where he said that non-binary does not exist (“non-binair bestaat niet”) and that it is not okay to be non-binary (“non-binair is niet okay”). Laurens Buijs abuses his position as a social scientist to deny the existence of non-binarity and therefore the identities of a group of students and teachers. We do not accept a denial of  the lived reality of non-binary people.
Non-binary people identify outside the gender binary (woman & man). It is difficult to be non-binary in a world which is highly structured by the gender binary. Non-binary people at the UvA experience that many lecturers, teachers, employees and students do not know how to create a safe (learning) environment for non-binary people. Without conversations about how to create such environments, it is difficult to build the necessary support. Students who speak out about negative experiences within classes or, for example, state their preferred pronouns often experience negative reactions or discrimination from fellow students and/or teachers. There is a lack of safety for non-binary people at the UvA. Laurens’ claims about non-binary people contribute to such a climate and actively work against the safety of non-binary students at the UvA.
The University of Amsterdam states on their website that they are committed to inclusion and anti-discrimination and want to be a tolerant place where everyone feels at home and respected. To fulfill this promise to non-binary people at the UvA, we ask that the UvA actively positions itself in support of the rights of non-binary people. We ask:
 

  • That students who do not feel comfortable attending classes taught by Laurens should not face any consequences.
  • That non-binary people be invited to actively contribute to the conversation about the social-safety of non-binarity at the university.
  • That the UvA takes serious steps in implementing policy to ensure the safety and inclusion for non-binary people at the university. 

Sincerely,
Raisa Mulder (She/Her), 
Jet Waterman (They/Them),
Lu Stoisser (They/Them)
Sign this petition if you want to support the cause as a fellow non-binary or ally! <3

Thank you for your support, UvA Non-binary Collective from RN Amsterdam
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Petition details

Petition started: 01/29/2023
Petition ends: 04/28/2023
Region: Stadsregio Amsterdam
Topic: Minority protection

News

  • Liebe Unterstützende,
    der Petent oder die Petentin hat innerhalb der letzten 12 Monate nach Ende der Unterschriftensammlung keine Neuigkeiten erstellt und den Status nicht geändert. openPetition geht davon aus, dass die Petition nicht eingereicht oder übergeben wurde.

    Wir bedanken uns herzlich für Ihr Engagement und die Unterstützung,
    Ihr openPetition-Team

Not yet a PRO argument.

In de NRC van zaterdag 25 februari 2023 staat een interview met mw. JW. Zij komt vrij dicht bij de opvattingen van LB. Voorts: een recente paper van Elizabeth Barnes in Mind (Vol. 131, no. 523, pp. 838-864) rekent overtuigend af met het dogma dat gender zelf-identificatie (als X) een noodzakelijke voorwaarde voor gender toewijzing (categorization) (als X) zou zijn. Barnes gaat in tegen opvattingen van een reeks van auteurs over gender. Er is debat over gender mogelijk en nodig, juist op de UvA.

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