When Miranda Green-Barteet heard about the triple stabbing that took place in a gender studies classroom at the University of Waterloo in Ontario last month, she says she was "saddened" but "not shocked."
The professor and undergraduate chair of gender, sexuality and women's studies at the University of Western Ontario says threats, harassment and intimidation often happen when teaching the subject.
"I have gotten hate mail, I have gotten hateful tweets on Twitter. All of my colleagues have received similar things. Many do not have social media profiles associated with their profession for these reasons," she told CTV's Your Morning on Monday. "It's just not surprising."
The attack at the University of Waterloo on June 28 . Police have since arrested Geovanny Villalba-Aleman, 24, in connection with the stabbing.
He faces four counts of assault with a weapon and two counts of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.
He also faces a charge of mischief under $5,000, which police told 麻豆影视 Kitchener is in relation to a ripped Pride flag.
After the stabbing, Green-Barteet said her faculty is planning to evaluate safety in classrooms over the summer.
"My department is in the faculty of arts and humanities, and the faculty has moved up a planned safety audit that was to occur in the fall, it's going to now take place on this over the summer. I do know that there are meetings that are happening with upper administration, my department has been consulted," she said.
Professors in the gender studies program at Western University, Green-Barteet said, are asking for classrooms with an entrance and exit to "increase safety without compromising our pedagogy."
An advocacy group for their security after the stabbing. About 100 institutions and seeking to address polarization on their campuses.
鈥淯niversities by their very nature are places of inquiry and academic freedom...where ideas need to be discussed, they need to be argued, they need to be countered, they need to be thoroughly examined, but in a place of safety and in a place of tolerance,鈥� Philip Landon, CEO of Universities Canada, told The Canadian Press.
Green-Barteet says she also hopes classroom numbers and locations will only be made available to students and staff members who are part of the Western community, instead of publicly available online, for example.
"If you're not a member of the Western community, it's very easy to search and find out where certain classes will be held on campus," she said.
Following the stabbing at Waterloo, issued a statement calling the act "appalling."
"Some on campus may be feeling particularly vulnerable right now," he said. "I want to assure you that Western will continue to prioritize the well-being and safety of our students and employees 鈥� and, in light of the incident at Waterloo, we have put additional security measures in place across campus."
The stabbing is an example of how hate crimes play out when there is pushback against historical norms, Green-Barteet said.
"The amount of hate crimes in gender-based violence has always been high,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think that what we're seeing now is a pushback against the rights that LGBTQ+ people have earned and as historically happens. When those who are in power feel like power is being taken away from them, they react."
To hear the full interview click the video at the top of this article.
