OUTLaw Board's Latest Letter to NYU Law Dean Revesz Regarding Dr. Thio Li-Ann

Dear Dean Revesz:

We are again writing regarding the appointment of Dr. Thio Li-ann as a visiting professor for this fall. While we appreciate your rejection of Dr. Thio’s discriminatory views, many in our community feel that your remarks have not done enough to reassure students of the depth of NYU Law’s current commitment to the rights of LGBT individuals. While we are all proud of NYU Law’s early leadership in that arena, many view the invitation to have a scholar who advocated for the imprisonment of sexual minorities to teach human rights as an insuperable setback. (We also would like to note, as an aside, that Dr. Thio’s anti-LGBT advocacy is not limited to a single parliamentary speech; in 2008 she was instrumental in imposition of heavy fines on a Singaporean television channel for featuring a gay couple on a design program.)

Moreover, as we are sure has become apparent, the roster of individuals and organizations who are upset about Dr. Thio’s appointment is not limited to the OUTLaw Board or its membership. While many of these other groups have been deferring to OUTLaw’s leadership on this issue, the school’s decision to invite Dr. Thio to teach human rights law rightly disturbs more people than only those who are LGBT-identified. Further, amongst those individuals and organizations, and indeed within OUTLaw itself, there is a diverse spectrum of opinions as to the appropriateness of the administration’s stance and the role of student groups in altering it.

Finally, many of the questions raised by Dr. Thio’s impending visit remain unanswered: Were Dr. Thio’s statements known to those responsible for the decision to hire her? How virulent must homophobic remarks be to disqualify a scholar from employment at NYU Law? Would the administration similarly hire a scholar who, in her capacity as a legislator, advocated for the imprisonment for those who engage in certain religious or cultural practices?

Therefore, the OUTLaw Board asks that the administration hold a town-hall style meeting, so that the dialogue on Dr. Thio’s visit can be opened up to include non-Board members of OUTLaw as well as the many other concerned groups and individuals. We are aware that the summer months are a difficult time to arrange meetings, but the ongoing flood of sentiment, which has been noted in the press, dictates that this conversation take place shortly, before the semester starts. We therefore urge the administration to arrange such a meeting as soon as possible, and we are happy to collaborate to ensure its success.

We thank you in advance for responding to what has become an increasingly complicated, urgent situation.

Respectfully,

The OUTLaw Board