The Ratskis perform in Steinman College Center Wednesday Night at the Block Party Benefit hosted by F&M’s Coalition for Peace and Justice.
On a rainy Wednesday night, Franklin & Marshall College students were invited to party.
In advance of Trans Day of Visibility last weekend—and in light of a controversial lecture on campus by former University of Pennsylvania swimmer Paula Scanlan—several campus organizations came together to celebrate (and educate).
From an indoor block party fundraiser to designated safe spaces, students united to provide alternative options for comfort. These schedulings unofficially countered the very first campus event hosted by F&M’s Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter.
On February 29th, all students received a message via email with a startling subject line: Men Should Not Compete in Women’s Sports. The email came from Makoa Niebel, ‘25, Chair of F&M’s YAF, and announced an upcoming event featuring Scanlon in Stahr Auditorium.
“I believe that gender ideology is heavily ingrained in the campus at F&M,” Niebel said in an email to TCR. “YAF has received a lot of backlash, but if just one person feels more courageous to voice their beliefs, whatever they may be, I believe it is worth it. I think we have accomplished that.”
Taking place on March 27th, Scanlan was scheduled to “share her testimony” through a lecture about her experience with swimmer Lia Thomas at the University of Pennsylvania, according to the email. Scanlan is active on social media advocating for “single-sex” athletics and acts as a member of the Independent Women’s Forum, chaired by Heather Higgins, a conservative journalist and businesswoman.
Lia Thomas became the first transgender athlete to win an NCAA Division I title in 2022, and as of January 2024, has taken World Aquatics to court regarding the prohibition of transgender athletes from some women’s competitions.
Teach-In
An hour before Scanlan’s lecture, the FPS Queer and Trans Alliance, WGSS, and SAGA hosted “Teach-In: Gender-Affirming and Inclusive Conversations about Athletics” in Shadek-Fackenthal Library. The mission, according to its programming, was to provide “trans-affirming language with which to discuss inclusion in athletics” and scientific evidence for said discussions.
Several F&M professors helped lead the teach-in, including Meredith Bashaw, Department Chair of Psychology; Meagan Tripp, Assistant Professor of German; and Jamie Blair, Professor of Biology and Program Chair of WGSS.
Also hosting were Erin Hollenback, Project Manager for F&M’s Global Barometers, and Nadia Mann, F&M’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Specialist.
Informational sheets were distributed to attendees under the header “FACT-CHECKING TRANSPHOBIA: What does the research actually show?” Myths about transgender individuals were countered with research, including that transgender people are more likely to perpetuate sexual assault or always have a physical advantage in all sporting events.
“The teach-in was an inclusive and informative space,” said Jada Freeman, a senior who attended the event in preparation for the Scanlan lecture. “More events like it should be held, regardless of if we get a guest like Paula again or not.”
Several student attendees shared with TCR that after attending the teach-in, they were denied entry due to the Scanlan lecture hitting maximum capacity. Wristbands were distributed to community members who received permission to enter the talk, and while private security patrolled outside, F&M Public Safety was in charge of letting people into the event.
Multiple members of SAGA confirmed via email that they observed Public Safety “picking and choosing” who to let in, asking “What teams are you all on?”
When emailed by TCR about the situation, Stephanie Kessler, Director of the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership, said that DPS was made aware of several women’s teams who could not get in and wanted to have at least one team representative inside the lecture.
“I don’t think that there was any malicious intent,” said Kessler. “I am not sure how well the trading of wristbands worked or if it was an even exchange.”
Safe Space Party
“Want a tattoo?” asked Sarah Betts, ‘25, Vice President of SAGA, gesturing to a pile of rainbow temporaries strewn across the coffee table. Michaela Badey, ‘25, and Hope Clarke, ‘27, the club’s president and resident artiste, nodded.
Entering the Alice Drum Women’s Center (ADWC) Wednesday night, attendees were met with glitter, stickers, Oreos and dozens of crafty students. Members of SAGA, Sweet Ophelia, the ADWC and members of the F&M community were present to escape the loud music sounding in Steinman College Center’s atrium. Students strung beaded bracelets, painted, and intertwined colorful pipe cleaners.
“A big reaction [to the Scanlan event] we saw was fear, anger, and a lot of hard emotions to deal with,” said Betts. “And the Safe Space is an area where everyone can feel those feelings and be validated.”
The event was organized by SAGA with support from Phi Sigma Pi (PSP), Sweet Ophelia and Alpha Xi Delta (AXiD). About halfway through the night, several members of Sweet Ophelia performed acoustic renditions of hit songs as duos with Harmony Clark, ‘25, on the guitar.
Sam Correa, ‘24, and Harmony Clark, ‘25, perform an acoustic duet on Wednesday night in the ADWC.
“The purpose of us joining the Safe Space Party was to act in solidarity with the trans community and be part of something that brings love and joy into the environment,” said Stephanie Martinez, ‘25, PSP’s President, via email. “To be in a room with such supportive people was so energizing and a breath of fresh air during a time where there is rising hateful and disrespectful rhetoric towards our loved ones… Hate has no home here.”
Also in distribution were pins combining the F&M logo with the transgender flag, which many wore throughout campus Wednesday and continued to wear after. Some silently pinned the tokens to their clothing while attending the Scanlan talk.
“We also thought with everything else going on in Lancaster, violence against trans people, especially with trans youth, we thought it was really important to make this a big party that everyone in the community and at F&M knew about,” said Betts.
Betts refers to pushback against Lancaster Public Library’s Drag Story Hour by county commissioners halted by a suspicious package on May 23rd, as well as the recent suicide of Lancaster County native and activist Ash Clatterbuck.
Block Party
A Block Party Benefit, supporting Trans Lifeline and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), featured food, bake sales, and live performances by Novella, The Ratskis and Ben Fryer in the Steinman College Center Atrium.
The event was spearheaded by the newly founded Coalition for Peace and Justice (CPJ). Peer Health Educators settled at an educational table in the back of the room. A petition circulated regarding support for the CROWN Act. According to a recent email from Vice President Gretchel Hathaway, “the Crown Act prohibits discrimination based on hair, hairstyle and cultural/religious hair coverings.” A bill amending the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act currently sits in the state senate concerning the act.
During the Block Party and Scanlan’s lecture, Lyzette (Lisa) Wanzer, F&M alum and author of Trauma, Tresses and Truths: Untangling Our Hair Through Personal Narratives, signed copies of her book in Roschel Theatre.
Nearly a dozen student groups co-sponsored the Block Party, including It’s on Us, Chi Omega, Kappa Delta, Skulls, SAGA, First-Year Class Cabinet, Sweet Ophelia, K&K, Peer-Health Educators, BSU and AAA.
“I am indifferent to those groups of women cosponsoring those events, and they have a right to cosponsor those events,” said Niebel via email when asked by TCR about his thoughts regarding the co-sponsors being primarily ciswomen-led groups. Half of the Block Party’s sponsoring organizations are run by cisgender women.
“I don’t subscribe to using the term ‘ciswomen’ which is common in modern gender ideology. I would encourage readers to research when terms like these came about and who created them,” added Niebel.
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the term cisgender was popularized in the 1990s, its Latin prefix meaning “on this side.”
When asked, Niebel confirmed that YAF has at least one woman on their Executive Board. When asked if a list of YAF’s leadership could be made available, Niebel said that there was no publicly available list due to a recent fluctuation in board members.
Lily Andrey, ’27, Drake De-Jute Erickson, ’26, Joey Gossick, ’26, Jaeyun An, ’26, and Thanos Danilidis, ’27, perform in CC.
“We are having a block party because we want to hold an event focused on community and doing something good when there may be things happening on campus that could be harmful to others,” said representatives of CPJ in a statement messaged to TCR. “Bringing people together with live music and food, raising money for two important charities, just seemed like the best way to do it.”
CPJ leadership confirmed they did not frame the Block Party Benefit as a protest or counter-event to allow for “a broader base of support” on campus.
Betts expressed similar limitations regarding the Safe Space Party.
“We were not allowed to frame it as a protest or an alternative event,” said Betts in agreement with Badey and Clarke. When asked who in the college had mandated this rule, interviewees could not confirm. “Trans Day of Visibility is on the 30th, so that’s what we decided to focus on.”
Kessler confirmed that she was not aware of “any prohibitions of the words ‘protest’ or ‘counter-event’”. Kessler was one of sixteen faculty and staff members who met twice daily regarding the Scanlan lecture “to ensure great programs and appropriate safety measures” as a part of the Events Management team.
F&M’s protest policy lists “Participation in any effort to prevent or disrupt a class or other College function or event” as resulting in a penalty, though it is unclear what level of disruption is barred. Kessler confirmed via email that the College is working to amend the Public Demonstrations and Protests Policy.
Senior Sarah Nicell is a staff writer for The College Reporter. Their email is snicell@fandm.edu.