BU faculty resist University directives to remove public-facing pride flags

Boston University faculty and staff reported requests from administration to remove public-facing pride flags in recent weeks, which the University said is part of an effort to enforce the school’s signage policy across its three campuses.

BU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors informed faculty in an email sent Monday that the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program and the University’s Children’s Center received directives over the weekend to remove their pride flags. 

The chapter later received confirmation that some removal requests “had gone on longer” than this past week, said BU AAUP Co-President Mary Battenfeld.

WGS Program Director Susanne Sreedhar said she received an email request Aug. 19 to move a pride flag, positioned in the window of the department’s sitting room in 704 Commonwealth Ave., to an “interior wall.” The request — which came from within a CAS planning and operations department — claimed the flag violated signage rules listed in BU’s Events and Demonstrations Policy, Battenfeld said.

The signage policy, which BU Spokesperson Colin Riley characterized as “longstanding,” states that unattended placards, banners or other signs are not permitted unless they are affixed on a previously approved location, including “Free Expression Boards” on campus.

“Any signage used by Event participants may not be affixed to any University-owned property, including walls, windows, or furniture,” the policy states.

BU President Melissa Gilliam announced updates to the Events and Demonstrations Policy in a letter addressed to the university community on Sept. 17, 2024. The update altered a student-specific policy on signage to apply on a university-wide scale. The current policy is a result of those changes.

“We’re a welcoming and inclusive community,” Riley said. “It is not about the posting, it’s the location.”

Sreedhar said she had never heard of BU requesting faculty or staff to take down “something like a pride flag” prior to the recent request. She perceived it as an infringement of free speech, Sreedhar added.

“I was very surprised that this is something that happened in the current political climate by this institution that I thought prided itself on not just freedom of expression but inclusivity, especially of queer folks,” Sreedhar said.

After consulting with WGS faculty, Sreedhar opted not to relocate or remove the flag. A week later, she received a message asking for confirmation that the flag had been removed. She last corresponded with Associate Dean of Social Sciences Arianne Chernock Sept. 9 to dispute the request, who told Sreedhar she would follow up with her on next steps. 

“It seems like a violation of free speech and free expression,” Sreedhar said. “Given BU’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, as spelled out in the Strategic Plan, which specifically mentioned the LGBTQ population, we feel like the pride flag is an important signifier.”

Sreedhar also noted she had seen flags and signs posted around campus in unapproved areas in previous semesters, including signs celebrating new graduates and an Israeli flag in a window of the Florence and Chafetz Hillel House on campus. 

The signage policy had previously not been “uniformly enforced,” Riley said, resulting in the replacement of some postings that were initially removed. He added that removal requests were being made across campus in multiple offices and locations.

The Daily Free Press reported multiple incidents in Spring 2025 where Nathan Phillips, a professor in the Department of Earth and Environment, claimed political signs he posted in his office window were removed without warning. 

“It’s a longstanding policy, and we expect people to abide and comply with university policies,” Riley said. “If [people] are not familiar with them, they may not be aware, and [the policies] need to be communicated. So this academic year is an effort to be consistent to communicate that.”

Battenfeld said LGBTQ students and staff are targeted by the Trump administration’s executive orders cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. She believes these federal initatives are the reason the University is implementing the policy now. 

“Higher administration seems to be operating under the premise that you hide your head, and the Trump administration won’t notice you,” Battenfeld said.

She also heard BU would be issuing a “no flags” policy soon. 

The Daily Free Press has been unable to confirm if the University will be issuing a “no flags” policy in the future. 

The Daily Free Press reached out to several professors with ties to the University’s DEI efforts, all of whom could not be reached or declined to comment and one who requested anonymity for fear of retribution.

“[My answers] could be misconstrued as disparaging to the U.S., especially since my comments will be in the public domain,” the anonymous professor, who is at BU on a scholarship visa, wrote in an email. “As much as I would like to share my views, I am going to have to reluctantly decline.”

The BU Children’s Center, the childcare facility for young children of faculty, staff and graduate students, declined to comment for this story.