Four LGBTQ+ Appalachian State staff fired, raising questions from students and faculty

Four LGBTQ+ Appalachian State University staff members have been terminated since last year, according to reporting from Inside Higher Ed. When the employees asked for a reason behind their termination, the university responded by saying “North Carolina is an at-will state.” 

According to the website labor.nc.gov, the term used, “at-will,” means that unless there is a specific law to protect employees or there is an employment contract providing otherwise, then an employer can treat its employees as it sees fit – including the assignment of tasks – and the employer can discharge an employee at the will of the employer for any reason or no reason at all. 

That does raise a question: can the fired employees expect any protection against possible LGBTQ+ employment discrimination from the federal level Title VII law, which applies nationwide and protects employees from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity?

The four people who were dismissed include Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Educational Development Jax Lastinger (they/them); Interpersonal Violence Specialist Sarah Hoffert (she/her); Title IX Investigator MB Bowen (they/them); and Housekeeper Kora Smith (she/her). 

All of these people came from different departments in the university, but all of them had one thing in common: they were affiliated with Queer and Trans Staff and Faculty (QTSAF) – a special group dedicated to bringing LGBTQ+ staff together. 

These four individuals have raised concerns regarding this, saying they believe it may be part of an effort by the university to cut back on DEI programming and restrict pride events. The General Assembly in March 2023 requested information regarding the cost of DEI training and how much of the state’s university system budget is used to pay for them. 

The firings started in March 2023 when one of QTSAF’s leaders, Bowen, was fired. Hoffert, who worked with students who were victims of violence on campus, told Inside Higher Ed she was involved in heated arguments with her previous supervisor in the months leading up to her termination over what she said was unequal access to remote work and chances to grow professionally. However, when she was terminated, the current supervisor wasn’t even in the same room. 

“I just found out one day in October, which was like the busiest month for reports for sexual violence … they were like, ‘Today’s your last day, you won’t be able to act in any way as an employee of the university,’” she said. “I couldn’t even sign into my email after that.”

Smith — who is very active in the App State LGBTQ+ community — was also a leader in QTSAF. She said she was always misgendered or called by her dead name while working as a housekeeper, and though Smith filed complaints, nothing was ever done about it. 

“The whole thing felt really rushed and under the table and unprofessional,” Smith said. She went on to explain she was often given more work than other housekeepers, which caused the quality of her work to suffer. She also received no notice of her termination. 

App State administration has denied any attempts to eliminate or reduce DEI programs or terminate employees who are supportive of those initiatives. 

“We are committed to the work of our strategic plan, which includes cultivating and supporting a welcoming university community and an academic culture of collaboration and respect through education and inclusive practices, as well as the UNC System goals related to providing academic, financial, and cultural support for students from all walks of life,” Megan Hayes, a spokesperson for the university, told Inside Higher Ed in an email.

While the university continues to be adamant it’s not actively trying to wipe out these programs, Hoffert says the impact of these firings is still going to be felt by students. 

“I think it’s harmful to students. I think it is harmful to the [campus] environment,” she said. “Honestly, before I got fired, it was scary to see it happen to other people, and I just think employees deserve a safer, better environment, and queer people deserve to feel like they’re not targeted.”