The GLiB Co-Chairs' Statement on General Peter Pace's Visit to the GSB
It's Time to Take a Stand
by Laura Barnard, Jacob Rothschild, & Patrick Wacker, '08
Issue date: 5/3/07 Section: GSB Life
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We urge the administration to rethink its position to extend the privilege of a keynote address to General Pace and to unequivocally state that bigotry and homophobia have no place at the GSB. We need reassurance from the administration that debate at the GSB is based on facts and not cut short by dismissing someone's view based on his or her sex, race, sexual orientation, "morals," cultural heritage or religion. The time for the GSB administration to show leadership on these issues is now. This is not a gay rights issue; it is a fundamental human rights issue that deserves attention and has implications for all of us regardless of sex, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religious background.
At press time, there are over 1000 signatures - including 6 GSB faculty members - on a petition calling to rescind Pace's invitation. We encourage any of you who are interested to visit http://www.petitiononline.com/PaceUofC/petition.html for more information. Additionally, there are several LGBT groups among the U of C undergrads and other graduate schools who are mobilized to protest the event very actively - with the attention of the media - and demand that Pace's invitation be rescinded.
Whether or not you personally believe that General Pace's invitation should be rescinded, GLiB encourages every member of the GSB community to think of what you would do if General Pace had commented about your background.
In a business environment that increasingly condemns discrimination based on sexual orientation, fosters affinity groups, offers domestic partnership rights, and markets to the LGBT community, how can the GSB pass up this great opportunity to take a stand against overt, public bigotry? Anti-discrimination policies - the practice and not merely the lip service of such policies - is one area in American culture in which the corporate world leads the rest of the nation. For the GSB to so publicly fail to stand behind its own stated values sends the signal that the GSB is not ready to participate in the corporate world. This is a dangerous misstep that devalues the GSB's position in the world business community, and hurts all GSB students and alumni - not just those of us who have been "offended" by General Pace's comments.
GLiB Co-Chairs:
Laura Barnard,
Jacob Rothschild,
Patrick Wacker
At press time, there are over 1000 signatures - including 6 GSB faculty members - on a petition calling to rescind Pace's invitation. We encourage any of you who are interested to visit http://www.petitiononline.com/PaceUofC/petition.html for more information. Additionally, there are several LGBT groups among the U of C undergrads and other graduate schools who are mobilized to protest the event very actively - with the attention of the media - and demand that Pace's invitation be rescinded.
Whether or not you personally believe that General Pace's invitation should be rescinded, GLiB encourages every member of the GSB community to think of what you would do if General Pace had commented about your background.
In a business environment that increasingly condemns discrimination based on sexual orientation, fosters affinity groups, offers domestic partnership rights, and markets to the LGBT community, how can the GSB pass up this great opportunity to take a stand against overt, public bigotry? Anti-discrimination policies - the practice and not merely the lip service of such policies - is one area in American culture in which the corporate world leads the rest of the nation. For the GSB to so publicly fail to stand behind its own stated values sends the signal that the GSB is not ready to participate in the corporate world. This is a dangerous misstep that devalues the GSB's position in the world business community, and hurts all GSB students and alumni - not just those of us who have been "offended" by General Pace's comments.
GLiB Co-Chairs:
Laura Barnard,
Jacob Rothschild,
Patrick Wacker
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