Two More Colleges—Arizona and USC—Reject Trump Trans Bathroom Ban Compact

The universities are the latest in a series of institutions that are refusing to comply with Trump's threats to target tarns people.

USC Edward L Doheny Jr Memorial Library // Michael // Creative Commons

Two universities—the University of Southern California and the University of Arizona—have become the latest to reject the Trump administration’s demands to impose transgender bathroomybans on their campuses. They join five other universities that have similarly refused letters from the administration offering large financial incentives in exchange for adopting so-called “reforms,” which include anti-transgender measures, anti-immigrant provisions, attacks on diversity programs, and new restrictions on student protests. The rejections come after notable institutions folded to earlier anti-LGBTQ+ demands, including Brown, Columbia, Harvard, and Penn—some of which rejected this latest compact.

“USC fully agrees that academic excellence cannot exist without a “vibrant marketplace of ideas where all different views can be explored, debated, and challenged.” To foster such an environment at USC, we have committed ourselves to institutional neutrality and launched a number of initiatives designed to promote civil discourse across the ideological spectrum. Without an environment where students and faculty can freely debate a broad range of ideas and viewpoints, we could not produce outstanding research, teach our students to think critically, or instill the civic values needed for our democracy to flourish,” said USC interim president Beong-Soo Kim in response to the demands.

Last month, the Trump administration sent letters to nine universities proposing a so-called “compact” that offered preferential access to federal grants in exchange for sweeping changes to campus policy. The agreement demanded that universities curb what the administration described as the “punishment” of conservative viewpoints, limit the enrollment of foreign students, and adopt measures targeting transgender people. The compact called for a complete rejection of transgender students’ gender identities and imposed bans in bathrooms and campus sports. A copy of the administration’s demands regarding transgender students can be seen here:

Trump Compact // WAPO

Both universities faced immediate and forceful backlash from students and faculty. At an October 6 meeting at USC, more than 500 attendees signed up to voice opposition to the administration’s compact—and not a single speaker spoke in favor of it. “History will not judge USC kindly if it agrees to this compact. The government is clearly engaged in a war on education… Capitulation is the fastest route to ruin,” said Edward Saxon, professor of cinematic arts. “There can be no negotiation. They are playing by the fascist playbook,” added Amelia Jones, vice dean of faculty and research at the School of Art and Design.

At the University of Arizona, the administration’s proposed compact sparked widespread protest among students and faculty alike. Eighteen student organizations—including the Black Student Association, the Pride Alliance, and College Democrats—joined together in a demonstration condemning the proposal. At an October meeting, numerous professors denounced the compact as both discriminatory and politically motivated. “For those of you who are trans on this campus, we stand by you… What I’m worried about as we sit here and determine whether our university is going to sign this compact is that it’s already being leveraged by this administration,” said Dr. Carol Brochin of the College of Education. Senator Zeiders, representing the School of Family and Consumer Sciences (CALES), added that the compact “shifts focus from the quality of scholarship to compliance with political directives.” When the Faculty Senate finally took a vote on the compact, it failed overwhelmingly—40 to 8.

Five other universities have already rejected the compact, though not all have been consistent in standing up to the administration’s broader pressure campaign. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Virginia, and Dartmouth all rejected the proposal outright. Brown and the University of Pennsylvania also turned it down—but both had already accepted separate demands from the administration tied to federal funding, incorporating elements of its discriminatory agenda into their campus policies. Meanwhile, other prestigious institutions, including Harvard and Columbia, have capitulated entirely, enacting anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ measures after facing federal threats.

These two universities join a growing coalition of institutions choosing resistance over compliance. From public school districts in Northern Virginia to Chicago, Denver, and New York City, educators and local officials across the country are rejecting the Trump administration’s attempts to weaponize federal funding against transgender students. Just this week, a federal judge sided with 16 states challenging a similar policy targeting LGBTQ+ inclusive education, blocking the administration’s effort to withhold funds. While too many institutions—including some hospitals and universities—have capitulated to these demands, the decisions by USC and the University of Arizona stand out as moments of moral clarity. Their refusal will be remembered by the transgender community as proof that not everyone bowed to fear when it mattered most.