Gianforte Family Hall, the northernmost building of Gateway Academic Center, has been stained with controversy and student disapproval since Stevens announced it was to be named after wealthy alumnus and Montana governor, Greg Gianforte. Governor Gianforte, a prolific anti-LGBTQ+ law maker and infamous for assaulting a reporter in 2017, has been propped up by Stevens Institute of Technology as an inspiring entrepreneur despite ongoing student protests over the school’s involvement with him. In his most recent attack on LGBTQ+ rights, Gianforte may be signing into law Senate Bill 99 which will ban gender-affirming care for trans youth. Montana is just the newest state to pass a bill like this with nine other states enacting similar bans recently. Effectively, the bill would prevent medical interventions including hormone therapy and surgery for minors, as well as preventing public funds like Medicaid being used for these procedures.
On May 3 of this year, Governor Gianforte gave a brief interview where he said “we need to make sure everybody’s voice is heard as we make a decision,” and that they were “still collecting” input on the issue from “transgender parents [and] transgender children.” He said this in response to concerns over parents and families who were considering moving out of state to continue accessing medical care for their children. While Governor Gianforte has yet to sign this bill, he has a colored history with the LGBTQ+ community. Earlier in his role as governor, Gianforte signed into law a bill that prevents trans youth from participating on sports teams that align with their gender. Gianforte is also known to have donated more then $1 million to anti-LGBT+ organizations since 2008.
Hailey Veres, President of Stevens Torch Alliance, a club dedicated to creating a social space for LGBTQ+ students, gave an interview with The Stute where she said Senate Bill 99 “is a step in the wrong direction” that will “unquestionably… hurt the lives of countless trans kids in Montana.” Veres also says that Gianforte’s beliefs do not represent the Stevens student body. As for Gianforte Family Hall, Veres is not sure what it would take for administration to acknowledge calls for a name change, but that “the naming of the building shows a certain level of indifference” from leadership, creating an even wider gap between students and administration.
While Governor Gianforte might have bought his way into Stevens history “Gianforte’s values go against that of Stevens’, and there’s no amount of money that anyone can donate to address that.” Veres urges anyone wanting to help the LGBTQ+ community to support organizations like Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the ACLU of Montana. These organizations have all pledged to fight this bill in court if it is signed, and are likely to face an uphill battle in the coming months and years as they fight the countless bills nationwide threatening LGBTQ+ civil rights. Students could also help by raising awareness of the issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community both at Stevens and nationwide.
