by John Rigolizzo
Johns Hopkins University has taken down its “LGBTQ Glossary” after backlash erupted against its definition of “lesbian.”
The glossary of LGBTQ terms was posted on the webpage of the Gender and Sexuality Resources office at Johns Hopkins’ Diversity and Inclusion department. The glossary defined lesbian as a “non-man attracted to non-men.” But after fierce backlash on social media, the office took down the glossary, claiming that the definition was not approved.
“Johns Hopkins strives to create a campus culture that is inclusive and welcoming for all gender identities, sexual orientations, experiences and viewpoints, and we are committed to ensuring Johns Hopkins is a place where LGBTQ people feel supported,” the webpage now states. “The LGBTQ Glossary serves as an introduction to the range of identities and terms that are used within LGBTQ communities, and is not intended to serve as the definitive answers as to how all people understand or use these terms. While the glossary is a resource posted on the website of the Johns Hopkins University Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI); the definitions were not reviewed or approved by ODI leadership and the language in question has been removed pending review.”
As previously reported by Campus Reform, the glossary used a definition of the word “lesbian” that explicitly excluded the word “woman”:
A non-man attracted to non-men. While past definitions refer to ‘lesbian’ as a woman who is emotionally, romantically, and/or sexually attracted to other women, this updated definition includes non-binary people who may also identify with the label.
But the term “gay man” had no such gender-inclusive phrasing in its definition:
A man who is emotionally, romantically, sexually, affectionately, or relationally attracted to other men, or who identifies as a member of the gay community. At times, “gay” is used to refer to all people, regardless of gender, who have their primary sexual and or romantic attractions to people of the same gender. “Gay” is an adjective (not a noun) as in “He is a gay man.”
Backlash online was swift and fierce, coming from all corners of the political spectrum, including names like Gays Against Groomers founder Jaimee Mitchell, Gay Pride parade co-founder Fred Sargeant, Daily Wire host Ben Shapiro, and Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
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John Rigolizzo serves as Associate Editor for Campus Reform. Previously, he was a contributor at The Daily Wire, covering national news stories on a variety of topics. His writing has previously been featured in the Daily Caller, The College Fix, and Global Farmer Network, among others. He was a 2022 Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute. A native of South Jersey, he is a graduate of Rutgers University-Camden.
Photo “Johns Hopkins University” by Johns Hopkins University.
