University Shells Out More Than $26,000 To Host Trans Activist

 The University of Pittsburgh (UPitt) Student Government Board (SGB) allocated more than $26,000 for a student organization to host transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney during Pride Week, the student newspaper The Pitt News reported.

The Pitt Program Council and the Rainbow Alliance will host “An Evening With Dylan Mulvaney” on March 22 at 8:30pm on campus to begin its Pride week activities, according to the Council’s website. The former Broadway actor made headlines after a TikTok series went viral documenting the “days of girlhood” after Mulvaney came out as transgender. 

The Rainbow Alliance requested $26,250 to pay for the event which the SGB unanimously approved in full, according to the Pitt News.

The Council will reportedly cover the remaining speaker fees which can range between $30,000 and $50,000, according to All American Speakers, a talent booking agency.

The event will include a one hour program followed by a 45-minute moderated Q&A and 15-minute audience Q&A session, according to its description. It was planned in response to upcoming speaker events being hosted by several conservative groups that have resulted in backlash on campus, Luna Lindstrom, Rainbow Alliance’s business manager, told the Pitt News.

The UPitt Turning Point USA chapter will host Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer who competed against transgender athlete Lia Thomas during the NCAA Women’s Swimming Championships, on March 27 for a discussion on efforts to “Save Women’s Sports.” The College Republican chapter will host a debate on April 18 between Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles and transgender professor Deirdre McCloskey on “Transgenderism & Womanhood.”

Two Democratic Pennsylvania lawmakers released a statement March 15 condemning the event and demanding the university cancel the speeches. The university said March 10 that while the events “are toxic and hurtful for many people in our University community,” it cannot prevent student organizations from inviting speakers to campus.

Students are permitted to protest the events but cannot “interfere with University events or operations,” according to the statement.

More than 10,600 individuals signed a petition to “hold [UPitt] accountable in protecting LGBTQIA+ individuals” and demand the events be canceled. SGB President Danielle Floyd condemned the events during the March 14 meeting, the Pitt News reported.

“Those who currently wish to advance hate and transphobia should not be given a platform at Pitt, and now more than ever it is important to support trans folks and the entire LGBTQ community at Pitt and uplifting their voices as they are the most impacted at this time,” she said.

“An Evening With Dylan Mulvaney” tickets are free and accessible to UPitt students, according to its description. Pride Week events are scheduled from March 22 to April 7.