A transgender man has filed a complaint against an 88-year-old New York University psychology professor for not using the preferred pronouns when referring to transgender students.
August Enzer, a junior at NYU, wants Professor Edgar Coons, who has taught at the college since 1965, to be disciplined and for the resolution to be made public, the New York Post reported Saturday.
Enzer told NYU's student newspaper, the Washington Square News, that Coons made "transphobic" comments and used the term "abnormalities" while discussing gender and sexuality during an Introduction to Psychology course freshman year.
Coons has denied Enzer's allegations.
"It's not true. Not at all," the professor told the Post last week.
In November, Coons denied using the word "abnormalities" in the lesson or using the wrong pronouns to address transgender people, the Square News reported.
But Enzer claims that Enzer was "disrespectful" to transgender people.
"Coons' lesson plans are just very blatantly disrespectful, very blatantly transphopic," Enzer told the NYU paper. "The school has done nothing to combat this or educate him."
Enzer said that he was prompted to file the complaint after speaking to another transgender man, an NYU sophomore, who said that Coons referred to him as a woman.
Coons said that he has not faced any discipline from NYU so far, but would not elaborate.