The Alternate Universe Of Federal Judges
A U.S. District Judge receives a private reprimand for two years of loud sexual trysts in her chambers - a tenured professor is fired for assigning a reading that used the word "transvestite."
By now, almost everyone has read about Atlanta U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross, who received an inconsequential private reprimand after a law clerk complained about her loud sexual trysts in her chambers with a police officer over a two-year period.
The Judicial Conference of the U.S. told Ross to write a letter of apology to her clerks.
But few have heard about Linda Crawford, a tenured Spanish professor at Salve Regina University in Rhode Island who taught from 2004 to 2022, when she was fired after assigning students to read an article that identified transgender men as “transvestites.”
“Transvestite” is the term that was historically used for men who dress as women, and is still used today in many countries in Latin America.
During a class discussion, Crawford said LGBTQ+ rights “have not evolved to the level such rights have evolved to in the United States.” A student (identified as Student D) objected to the reference to transvestites in the article. Student D rallied a group of fellow students to meet with Modern Languages Department Chair James G. Mitchell to complain. Mitchell encouraged them to submit written statements to the university criticizing Crawford. She was subsequently fired.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit recently affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by Crawford alleging hostile work environment and discrimination based on gender, race, sexual orientation, age, and religion. Crawford also alleged Mitchell coordinated and inflated the student complaints to retaliate against her for supporting a teacher who had filed a grievance against Mitchell.
The absurdity of Crawford’s situation is obvious.
Many Latin American countries are far less tolerant of LGBTQ+ people than the West. The reading assignment was evidence of this. Crawford teaches about Spanish culture.
‘Ignorant Cis Woman’
Nevertheless, “Student D” wrote a lengthy letter to the Provost “explaining his view that the reading’s use of the word ‘transvestite’ was ‘inappropriate.’” He wrote that “he told Crawford ‘he was a ‘transgender gay man,’ and that because she’s a white straight cis woman,’ she cannot tell him what he finds offensive.’” He also called Prof. Crawford “ignorant.”
