LOGAN, Utah — After some social media posts went viral that criticized Utah State University for allowing a transgender woman to be a resident assistant in an on-campus dormitory, the university released a statement clarifying some "misinformation."
It started with a Facebook post from the mother of a USU student, who said her daughter was assigned to a dorm in Merrill Hall that shared a common living space with the resident assistant, who is a transgender woman. After calling the university, the mom said her daughter was given options for different apartments to move into and would move the next day.
The post was then shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) and gained millions of views, plus over 1,000 comments from varying viewpoints.
In response to FOX 13 News, USU spokeswoman Amanda DeRito said she wanted to "correct some misinformation that is circulating in this situation." She said Merrill Hall is a co-ed building, "where students are assigned apartments according to the gender they report in their housing application."
She added that USU complies with federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination in housing, including on the basis of gender identity.
"Students are provided information about their future roommates before they move in so they can usually begin getting to know each other," DeRito wrote. "There are times when students are added to a room late or right before the semester begins. Students can make requests for a room reassignment at any time. This is typically done quickly when needed."
"USU Student Housing strives to create a welcoming environment for all students, regardless of their background or viewpoints," the statement continued.
