Professors Walk Out Of Ceremony Honoring Republican State Senator Who Sponsored ‘Parent’s Bill Of Rights’

Multiple University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) faculty members walked out of a ceremony honoring Republican state Sen. Michael Lee on Tuesday night while students rallied for LGBTQ+ rights outside the venue, WWAY News, a local station, reported.

Lee was invited to campus to receive the Razor Walker Award for his help with the construction of the Isaac Bear Early College Facility, according to WWAY. Faculty and students were critical of Lee, who sponsored the state’s “Parent’s Bill of Rights” that would require schools to notify parents if a child wants to go by a different name or pronoun and bars “instruction on gender identity, sexual activity, or sexuality” in kindergarten through fourth grade. 

Caitlin Ryan, an associate professor in the Watson College of Education, was one of the faculty members who walked out of the ceremony as Lee was presented with the award, according to WWAY. The walkout was met with cheers from outside protesters who held signs reading “It’s okay to say gay, Senator Lee” and “Gay rights are human rights.”