Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
BU’s Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism was ransacked, say students
The BU Police Department is investigating the incident.
Boston University students reported that they found the school’s Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism broken into and ransacked late last month.
A shared social media message between the non-sanctioned Boston University group Quinobequin Student Front For Palestine (formerly Boston University Students for Justice in Palestine), BU Young Democratic Socialists, and The Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism showed pictures of damage to their office, which is located in the basement of George Sherman Union at 775 Commonwealth Ave.
Beforehand, signs were hung up on the wall the center with some reading: “Smash White Supremacy,” “My Body Is Not A Political Battleground,” “End US Support For the Genocide in Yemen,” “U.S.-Made Bombs Kill Yemeni children,” and “Education for the People Not the Pigs.”
Advertisement:
After the damage, pictures show the posters had been torn down, leaving ripped pieces of paper and staples on the beige wall.
The post says the person also tore trans and pride flags off the walls, destroyed anti-hate, anti-racist, and anti-imperialist posters, flipped furniture over, and ripped a mural dedicated to sexual assault survivors.
The post says the vandal focused most of the aggression on Palestine-related material, destroying and scattering posters, papers, and banners across the space.
“This attack was targeted,” the post read. “This attack was a hate crime.”
According to its website, the Center for Gender, Sexuality, and Activism (CGSA) “strives to be a safe space for people of all genders and sexualities.” The center says it aims to end gender oppression and violence, and advocates for equality and inclusion of women, queer and trans students.
Advertisement:
Representatives for the center did not respond to a request for comment on the incident.
The social media message states that school administrators contacted the CGSA board in October 2024 and asked that the posters in the space be “content-neutral.”
“In response to this attack, BU administration has remained silent and swept this under the rug,” the post read.
The post continued, “We refuse to let this pathetic attempt to insight [sic] fear hinder our movement to build a safer and more equitable campus.”
A Boston University Police Department log shows that police took a report on the incident and that it remains active.
In response to a request for more information and comment, Boston University says the school’s police department is investigating the matter, and the center remains open to students.
One of the groups using the space, the BU Young Democratic Socialists, was suspended Friday after allegedly violating university policies during an April 3 sit-in demanding that the school become a “sanctuary campus” to protect international students from immigration officers.
In a letter sent to the group and shared on social media, BU officials say the protesters “attempted to gain access through a locked door using intimidating tactics,” such as banging on walls. The protesters also left adhesive stickers and signs in unauthorized places, requiring facilities staff to clean up.
Advertisement:
In a social media post, the BU Young Democratic Socialists say they are now banned from meeting in the CGSA room.
“BU can suspend the largest socialist organization on campus, but they cannot silence us,” the post from the group read. “BU is helpless against the forces of history.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com