We, as a coalition of Stanford students striving for justice and civil rights, are campaigning for our peers to vote 'abstain' on the ROTC question on the April 2011 general election ballot.

Currently, Stanford's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex students as well as students with disabilities are barred from this program. This explicit exclusion is in opposition... [read more]

We, as a coalition of Stanford students striving for justice and civil rights, are campaigning for our peers to vote 'abstain' on the ROTC question on the April 2011 general election ballot.

Currently, Stanford's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex students as well as students with disabilities are barred from this program. This explicit exclusion is in opposition to Stanford's non-discrimination clause which states,

"Stanford University admits qualified students of any race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the University."

We are urging fellow students to abstain because we believe civil rights of minorities should not be up for a vote, and especially not up to the vote of a majority. Instead, we want to find alternative ways to oppose discrimination on our campus, rather than relying on a ballot box to foster justice. We are striving to uphold our collective investment, as Stanford students, in equal opportunity, as well as the values espoused by our non-discrimination clause. We are creating precedent and making a statement for justice with this vote.

Stand with us, and vote abstain.