![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/QueensCampus-RobinDawes.jpg\")
Queen\u2019s University Campus. Photo by Robin Dawes.<\/p>\nQueen\u2019s University Campus. Photo by Robin Dawes.<\/p>\n
A video shot in the University District containing transphobic, antisemitic, and other highly offensive content has drawn condemnation from Queen\u2019s University and a local union.<\/p>\n
The video, which has since been removed from Instagram and other social media platforms it circulated on, included \u201ca street interview at an unsanctioned gathering in the off-campus University District in late October,\u201d according to a statement from the university issued on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.<\/p>\n
The video began circulating over the weekend ending on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cQueen\u2019s University condemns a deeply disturbing transphobic, antisemitic and sexually violent video that recently circulated on social media,\u201d the university\u2019s statement began, noting that the video has been \u201cerroneously attributed to Queen\u2019s students.\u201d<\/p>\n
The university claimed that the video was not created by students currently enrolled there. According to Queen\u2019s, the university \u201ctook immediate action to have this harmful content removed and has been working to identify the participants.\u201d The university said it \u201cappears\u201d that the people who \u201clead and speak\u201d in the Instagram video \u201care not affiliated with Queen\u2019s.\u201d The statement went on to say that one of the individuals in the video \u201cappears to have created similar social media content at street gatherings near other postsecondary institutions in Ontario.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe safety of transgender community members and indeed all campus community members is paramount for Queen\u2019s. The harm caused by this video post is especially acute, because it surfaced during Transgender Awareness Week \u2013 a time dedicated to strengthening understanding, visibility, and support for the transgender community and the challenges its members face during this time of increasing anti-transgender violence,\u201d said the statement, which was issued on Transgender Day of Remembrance<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe university is firmly committed to fostering a safe, welcoming and inclusive community for transgender students and employees and all members of the Queen\u2019s community. We have no tolerance for hateful or hurtful conduct.\u201d<\/p>\n Kingstonist has not independently verified the information from Queen\u2019s about the video or those in it.<\/p>\n A day prior to the university addressing the video, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Local 901 \u2013 which represents \u201cthousands of teaching assistants, research assistants, and postdoctoral fellows\u201d at Queen\u2019s University \u2013 issued their own statement, saying the union local is \u201cdeeply disturbed and disgusted by the recent surfacing of a video in which Queen\u2019s University students use transphobic slurs and engage in Nazi apologia,\u201d and that they \u201ccondemn this behaviour unequivocally.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the union saw the video as part of a broader and ongoing issue, according to their statement.<\/p>\n \u201cMore importantly, we situate this incident within a long-standing and well-documented pattern of hateful, exclusionary, and harmful conduct that continues to emerge on this campus without meaningful institutional accountability,\u201d PSAC Local 901 stated.<\/p>\n The union\u2019s statement goes on to cite a number of incidents involving racism on campus over the past five years, though not all of those incidents have been previously covered or verified by Kingstonist, and will therefore not be listed here. Nonetheless, anonymous, racist content was airdropped to those in attendance at a Queen\u2019s debate in February 2023<\/a>, and was named in a class action lawsuit addressing antisemitism incidents on campus in November the same year<\/a> \u2013 incidents of antisemitism on Queen\u2019s campus have been documented by Kingstonist in 2023<\/a>, 2021<\/a>, and 2019<\/a>, among others.<\/p>\n PSAC 901 said such incidents \u201cviewed alongside the recently resurfaced video\u2026 highlight a persistent cultural problem at Queen\u2019s, where bigotry continues to emerge and institutional responses remain inconsistent or insufficient.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFor PSAC 901 members; graduate students and postdoctoral fellows who teach, research, and support the academic mission of this institution, these incidents generate profound concerns about safety, dignity, and belonging in their workplaces and classrooms,\u201d the union stated.<\/p>\n \u201cWe demand that the university, as the employer, meet with us without delay to discuss concrete steps to ensure a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace for all PSAC 901 members. Our members\u2019 safety, dignity, and ability to carry out their work free from hate and harassment cannot be negotiable nor is our demand for accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n It is unclear why PSAC 901 referred to the recent circulation of the offensive video as a \u201cresurfacing.\u201d Kingstonist cannot say whether the video in question was created recently or not, as the video has been removed from social media platforms.<\/p>\n For their part, Queen\u2019s pointed to a number of campus resources available to students, such as \u00a0Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Services<\/a>, the\u00a0Principal\u2019s Action Group for Gender and Sexual Diversity<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0University Council on Anti-Racism and Equity<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe university has a wide range of equity, diversity, and anti-racism resources available to the campus community, including support and reporting mechanisms, programming and community-building spaces and networks,\u201d Queen\u2019s said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queen\u2019s University Campus. Photo by Robin Dawes. 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