CONWAY, AR — University of Central Arkansas President Houston Davis fired off a flurry of emails and letters this month explaining why he ordered a sign celebrating Pride Month removed from in front of the school’s Torreyson Library. It quoted superstar Lady Gaga, who once said: “Being gay is like glitter; it never goes away.”

Citing the numerous minors who are on the Conway campus during the summer, complaints he had received and concerns the university’s mobile, customizable sign was being used to “make personal statements or advocate for a personal viewpoint,” Davis on June 12 ordered the message taken down.

The outrage among students, alumni and some staff members was palpable.

With the magnetic letters removed, students and others plastered the sign with handwritten notes in support of the LGBTQ+ community. Others expressed their outrage on social media. Library staff wrote on the facility’s Facebook page: “We have so much love & respect the LGBTQ members of our community.”

Among the upset students was Ashley Hunter, a senior, who wrote on Facebook that she had withdrawn from all of her classes in protest.

“Don’t want to support President Houston Davis after he suggested minors shouldn’t be exposed to LGBTQ folks and that the university’s view of ‘diversity’ means giving equal standing to folks that don’t want people like me to exist,” Hunter wrote, according to an account of the flap by University of Central Arkansas News.

Davis said in a campus-wide email Tuesday that he would be meeting later that day with library personnel “to hear their thoughts, concerns and suggestions.” Discussion items included the primary use of the sign to promote library programs and services and “appropriate use” of the sign moving forward, the university president wrote in an open letter Wednesday.

Many defended the library staff’s decision to use the sign in support of LGBTQ+ students during Pride Month.

On the library’s Facebook page, alumnus Sarah Zembo called the removal of the message “absolutely shameful” and said she was disheartened both by the administration’s decision to remove the message and “the subsequent ‘excuses’ provided for why this sign was removed.”

“I was an employee of the Torreyson Library during my time at UCA and just want to say that I respect and honor the library and the wonderful people who work there who put this sign up,” she wrote, adding, “keep doing the great work you do.”

Margaret Thweatt, another alumnus who said she is LGBTQ wrote: “I am simultaneously proud of the library staff that created this sign and embarrassed of the administration for being so obtuse and tone deaf. Apparently, glitter and gayness are so offensive to minors they must not be seen or spoken about. Shame on you UCA!”

In his letter, Davis wrote that he never intended to imply that LGBTQ+ students aren’t valued by the university, though he understands “the removal of this quote has caused fury and sadness across campus.”

Davis also said he never suggested minors “minors should not be exposed to the LGBTQ community.”

“This is absolutely not how that was intended, but a great deal of feedback has made it clear that some interpretations led to that conclusion,” he wrote. “We get numerous complaints in the summer about a host of issues because of the large number of minors on campus. Regardless of the subject matter, we do have to be mindful about all information and debate that typically is designed for students, faculty, and staff.”

“I understand that the removal of this quote has caused fury and sadness across campus. My observation that the library sign is a university platform and should be reviewed as such has morphed into a debate about UCA’s values and commitment to diversity,” the letter read in part. “I am very sorry that this has been the outcome and that anyone has felt unwelcome or silenced. That was certainly never my intention. We are absolutely committed to supporting our LGBTQ students and our entire campus community.”

The university support for LGBTQ+ students is evident in a number of services, programs and events, Davis wrote, adding: “You will find me at many of these events, supporting our students and their programs.”

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“It probably does not come as a surprise to many of you that we receive a limited amount of inside and a great deal of outside criticism regarding those programs,” he wrote. “While I find myself defending them on a predictable annual cycle, I am proud to advocate for all of these programs and services and will always.

“While I know not to take the criticism personally, my professional record and the record of my leadership team does not merit some of the names that are being hurled nor the label of anti-LGBTQ.”