A red cross and a reference to a 15th century French duke has caused an uproar at Northwestern University as LGBT students and professors fear for their safety.
Around Jan. 6, someone painted a “Cross of Burgundy” and wrote “CHARLES THE BOLD DUKE OF BURGUNDY 10 NOV 1433 — 5 JAN 1477” over a “trans flag” on campus. Students regularly paint over “The Rock” with various messages.
Even though the first person to report the cross did not know what it meant, she felt unsafe for her life.
“Something felt really off, and that visual cue, especially on a memorial for a trans student, just felt like something was wrong up there,” Smith Yarberry told The Daily Northwestern. Yarberry is gender-confused, sometimes just goes by “S.” and uses “they” pronouns. Her real name is “Sofia.”
The flag caused an immediate reaction as Yarberry, a “sixth-year English Ph.D. candidate” who writes “erotic” poetry,” and other LGBT individuals and allies jumped into action.
“Concerned students and faculty worked together over email chains in the following days to research the markings and allusion to the duke of Burgundy,” the student newspaper reported. “Others reached out to Student Affairs separately to notify the University about the symbol.”
The “chevroned X,” “was adopted by a Spanish pro-fascist group in the 20th century,” the team of researchers concluded.
“It’s one thing to go repaint the entire rock white with a red (symbol) and take away the trans memorial,” Yarberry (pictured) told the student newspaper. “But to use the trans memorial as the backdrop for a symbol associated with Nazism and fascist ideologies, that is a very political statement.”
While Yarberry and others were painting over the X, “a student approached them and took responsibility for painting the cross.”
“[T]he student mostly defended the decision as solely expressing interest in the duke of Burgundy. The person did not identify themself,” the newspaper reported.
That was not enough for the aggrieved LGBT members and allies, some of whom connected it to their broader problems with Northwestern.
Hellbound and Down 