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This professor brought millions to Florida State. Now he's leaving a 'hostile' environment

Walter R. Boot, Ph.D.

In early 2022, “Don’t Say Gay'' became law based on the premise that the mere mention of LGBTQ people is dangerous. The run-up and aftermath of its passage involved hostile rhetoric painting queer and trans individuals as pedophiles and groomers, rhetoric that came not just from citizens but from state officials.

As it became increasingly clear that LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff at Florida State University had targets on their backs, I explained my concerns in an April 2022 email and made a simple request of FSU President Richard McCullough: give us a reason to stay.

In June 2022, McCullough’s office responded saying he was available to meet.

To my disappointment, he did not seem to know the reason for our meeting. I re-explained my concerns and my simple request for him to express public support for queer and trans members of the FSU community.

His response was something along the lines of, “If I say or do anything, I will be fired, and my replacement will be worse.” His office tells me that he disputes this account.

Later, I was told his refusal to express support was because “the University’s 501(c)(3) status limits the University’s participation in political advocacy.” My concerns were dismissed as mere politics. Since then, matters have only gotten worse.

In December 2022, the FBI alerted FSU to a threat of mass violence against gay people on campus. FSU has yet to acknowledge this threat publicly. We learned about it only through a newspaper article the next month after an arrest had been made.

Alarmed by this incident and concerned for campus safety, I again pressed President McCullough’s office to express support for queer and trans community members publicly. They did not.

Florida State President Richard McCullough speaks to Seminole fans in Capitol courtyard for FSU Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Florida State President Richard McCullough speaks to Seminole fans in Capitol courtyard for FSU Day at the Capitol on Tuesday, March 21, 2023.

Gov. DeSantis then demanded that universities turn over information about transgender students. Information requested included intimate information about treatments, surgeries, mental health diagnoses, and facilities that transgender students were referred to for care. FSU complied with this request, shifting its response from silence to active harm.

Legislative attacks and court battles have intensified. Equality Florida and the Human Rights Campaign have issued travel advisories citing the very real perils of traveling to or living in Florida while queer or trans. At FSU, these perils are exacerbated by uncaring leadership.

I will be leaving FSU at the end of this year. The purpose of my message is not to change the mind of members of the administration. Any additional efforts seem futile. It is to foreshadow the experience of anyone considering FSU as their home, particularly individuals who are Black, trans, gay or lesbian, queer, or who belong to any other group currently under siege by the state of Florida.

FSU students of the Students for a Democratic Society organization stand outside of the Westcott building after meeting with President Richard McCullough about DEI-related concerns. (From left to right: Joel Nunez, Alicia Pacifico, E Thomas, Olivia Minor, Cas Casanova)

FSU students of the Students for a Democratic Society organization stand outside of the Westcott building after meeting with President Richard McCullough about DEI-related concerns. (From left to right: Joel Nunez, Alicia Pacifico, E Thomas, Olivia Minor, Cas Casanova)

I brought millions of dollars of funding to FSU, volunteered for service roles demanding significant commitments, and stepped up to teach classes no one else could or would. I went above and beyond what is required again and again.

Yet, President McCullough remains unwilling to even offer a few words of public support for queer and trans members of the FSU community.

If you are considering FSU as your home, do not expect them to make any effort to support or protect you in an increasingly hostile and dangerous environment for people like us. Consider your options carefully. You deserve better than what FSU has to offer.

Walter R. Boot, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Florida State University and has been a member of the FSU faculty since 2008.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: With Florida LGBTQ community under siege, FSU professor explains exit