01/29/2026
In light of recent events both nationally and on the SJSU campus, we the Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program feel compelled to assert our support for our trans* colleagues and students and the need to create a trans* inclusive campus community. Students cannot thrive or learn in a hostile environment. In our current socio-political moment, LBGTQ+ students, faculty, and staff are facing persisting violence, discrimination, and marginalization.
As a program we reaffirm the statement by the Sociology and Interdisciplinary Social Science Department committing to SJSU’s values of “serving a diverse student body by actively identifying and working towards dismantling systemic inequities in our institution.” We are committed to the movements for social and racial justice. We align with the SJSU Mission, Values, and Vision in its “pursuit to eradicate disparities and advance justice [which] encompasses all axes of difference, backgrounds, and identities and promotes a sense of belonging and empowerment in our community.”
As WGSS faculty we will continue to foster a welcoming and supportive departmental environment by creating spaces within our classrooms and by developing inclusive curriculum that makes visible and empowers the experiences of trans* lives and the movement to create a trans* liberated society.
WGSS Faculty
Tanya Bakhru, Angela Castillo, Susana Gallardo & CJ Jones
Emeriti faculty Shahin Gerami & Lois Helmbold
