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LOGAN — An email threatening a visiting feminist speaker and the attendees of an upcoming event was received by Utah State University Monday night, officials confirmed.
The university was still planning to hold the event Wednesday, which is hosted by the Center for Women and Gender Studies and features feminist media critic Anita Sarkeesian, according to USU director of media relations Eric Warren. However, the school confirmed via Twitter Tuesday evening that Sarkeesian canceled her appearance.
Sarkeesian asked school officials whether firearms would be allowed in the auditorium where she was scheduled to speak. USU officials replied that, in accordance with Utah law, anyone with a valid concealed carry permit would be able to enter with the gun, according to a statement released by the university.
On Twitter, Sarkeesian said she requested pat-downs or metal detectors for those coming to the presentation but was denied based on Utah's firearms laws.
"Forced to cancel my talk at USU after receiving death threats because police wouldn't take steps to prevent concealed firearms at the event," she tweeted.
The email was one of several threats made regarding the USU appearance, Sarkeesian said on Twitter. One of them specifically referenced "GamerGate," an ongoing conflict over sexism in video game culture, she said.
"I'm safe. I will continue my work. I will continue speaking out. The whole game industry must stand up against the harassment of women," Sarkeesian said.
The message, sent to about a dozen school offices late Monday night, threatened "the deadliest school shooting in American history" if Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist known for her critical look at how women are portrayed in popular media, is allowed to speak at the school.
The email, provided to KSL News by USU, purports to have been written by a student with access to a semiautomatic rifle, several pistols and pipe bombs.
"I'm giving you a chance to stop it," the message reads, demanding that Sarkeesian's presentation be canceled.
“The threat seems to be consistent with other threats that this speaker has faced in previous talks, so it is not out of the norm for this particular speaker,” he said. “That being said, we’re still taking every precaution we can to ensure the safety of our students.”
Warren said the anonymous author “seemed upset about the so-called feminist movement in general.”
The sender has not been identified, and the investigation is ongoing.
After receiving the email, Warren said USU police officers ran the information they had past various law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, to gain an assessment of the degree of risk associated with the threat.
The threat seems to be consistent with other threats that this speaker has faced in previous talks, so it is not out of the norm for this particular speaker.
–Eric Warren
This is not the first time Sarkeesian has drawn the attention of people opposed to feminism. She created Feminist Frequency, “a video web series that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives,” according to her website. She also produces the video series “Tropes vs. Women” and “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games” to analyze stereotypical depictions of women.
An online harassment campaign, which included death threats through social media, was launched against her after she created a Kickstarter in 2012. She shared her experiences during a TedxWomen Talk soon after.
Warren said the university was aware threats had been made against Sarkeesian prior to speaking engagements in the past, so they had already been making preparations for enhanced security before receiving the email.
“We’re first and foremost always interested in the safety and protection of our students and anyone who attends this event, but we are an institution of higher learning, so we educate people. That’s what we do,” Warren said. “In this case, we’ve invited a nationally renowned speaker who is going to bring an interesting perspective about an important topic.”
Classes and campus business will continue as usual Wednesday, according to USU.
Contributing: Lee Lonsberry and Devon Dolan
