Key facts
- The University of Chicago Laboratory Schools will no longer fly the LGBTQ pride flag.
- Administrators cited institutional neutrality and a new policy on contested issues.
- The decision references the University of Chicago's Kalven Committee report.
- The university stated that the full membership of LGBTQ+ people in the Lab community is a core value.
- The university clarified that this decision does not indicate a change in Lab's recognition of Pride Month.
The University of Chicago (UC) Laboratory Schools will cease flying the LGBTQ pride flag outside its courtyard. Interim Director Ethan Bueno de Mesquita explained the decision, stating it aligns with the university's commitment to institutional neutrality, referencing the Kalven Committee report and a new policy on contested issues. Bueno de Mesquita noted that while student organizations can express support for Pride Month, the institution must remain neutral. He emphasized that the decision does not diminish the value of LGBTQ+ individuals within the Lab community, which remains a core value, nor does it alter the recognition of Pride Month. The University of Chicago's American Association of University Professors chapter criticized the move, viewing the flag's removal as an unacceptable political stance that contradicts neutrality. The university reiterated its practice of flying only the American flag from its flagpoles.