91³Ô¹ÏÍø

Watch CBS News
Local News

Boston University students, staff rally for change after pride flags removed: "It's clearly politically targeted"

By
Samantha Chaney
Samantha Chaney
Samantha Chaney joined WBZ-TV in September 2024 as a multi-skilled journalist and reporter.
Read Full Bio
Samantha Chaney

/ CBS Boston

United in outrage, students and staff gathered outside Boston University's administrative center Thursday, calling for changes to a policy they say unfairly targets and removes pride flags across campus. Organizers told WBZ more than 2,000 people signed a petition for policy change. 

"Our own institution, like so many others, has imposed an expanding stranglehold on what we can say," one speaker told the crowd.

Pride flag removed from professor's window

The controversy was sparked after BU professor Nathan Phillips said a pride flag hanging in his office window was removed several times last month.

"On the 12th, I got a note that was left with the folded-up flag on my office door saying it had been removed," Phillips said. "Then it was taken down again on the 15th of March."

Pride flag Boston University
Pride flag hanging in Boston University professor Nathan Phillips' office window.  CBS Boston

Protesters claim the university has selectively removed certain flags and signs while allowing others to remain visible. 

"It is confusing it feels dangerous at a time when free speech is being threatened across the country every day," said recent graduate Ruby Hawes.

Boston University signage policy 

In a statement to WBZ, a Boston University spokesperson said, "Our policy applies to all outward-facing signage posted by students, faculty, and staff - regardless of content or viewpoint. The suggestion that the University is singling out the Pride flag with this policy is untrue."

Phillips, however, pointed to other displays around campus and ones from the past that were not removed.

"I put up letters that spelled divest in this very window," he said, urging the university to divest from fossil fuels. "That was 2012, 2013, apparently BU was okay with it at that time, they never took it down." 

Senior lecturer Dr. Laura Jimenez cited similar concerns and pointed to a time when a cardboard cutout of Michelle Obama was reportedly removed from a residence hall. 

"The implementation of this [policy] is not even-handed, it's not fair," she said. "In fact, if you want to take a look across the street on the corner there is a close to life sized balloon of Taylor Swift that's been completely ignored for five months." 

"It's clearly politically targeted," Phillips added. 

Following the rally, the university's vice president and chief of staff to the president accepted the petition and said administrators are open to a conversation at a later date.

In:

© 2026 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
const link = doc.createElement('link'); link.rel = 'stylesheet'; link.href = '/fly/fly/bundles/cbsnewscontent/css/cmp-banner.min.css?v=50747257b890e014813016b79ece0fb2'; doc.head.appendChild(link); doc.body.innerHTML = CONSENT_MESSAGE; } else { el.insertAdjacentHTML('afterend', CONSENT_MESSAGE); } }); } function hidePrivacyMessage() { // Remove from the main document document.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); // Remove from inside any iframes document.querySelectorAll('iframe').forEach(iframe => { const doc = iframe.contentDocument || iframe.contentWindow.document; doc.querySelectorAll(`.${CONSENT_MESSAGE_CLASS}`).forEach(el => el.remove()); }); } function activateGatedScripts() { // Handle both new format (cmp-gated-script) and old OneTrust/Ketch format (optanon-category-4) const gatedScripts = Array.from(document.querySelectorAll('script.cmp-gated-script, script.optanon-category-4')); // Activate scripts sequentially with a small delay to avoid timing issues let delay = 0; gatedScripts.forEach(function(placeholder, index) { setTimeout(function() { // Skip if already processed if (placeholder.hasAttribute('data-cmp-processed')) { return; } placeholder.setAttribute('data-cmp-processed', 'true'); const newScript = document.createElement('script'); newScript.type = 'text/javascript'; // Try new format first (data-cmp-src), then fall back to old format (data-src) const src = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-src') || placeholder.getAttribute('data-src'); if (src) { newScript.src = src; } else if (placeholder.textContent) { // Inline script - just copy the content newScript.textContent = placeholder.textContent; } // Handle new format attributes (data-cmp-attrs) - for both inline and external scripts const attrs = placeholder.getAttribute('data-cmp-attrs'); if (attrs) { const tempDiv = document.createElement('div'); tempDiv.innerHTML = '
<\/div>'; const tempAttrs = tempDiv.firstChild.attributes; for (let i = 0; i < tempAttrs.length; i++) { // For external scripts, allow defer/async. For inline scripts, skip them (not valid) if (src || (tempAttrs[i].name !== 'async' && tempAttrs[i].name !== 'defer')) { newScript.setAttribute(tempAttrs[i].name, tempAttrs[i].value); } } } // Copy other attributes from old OneTrust format for (let i = 0; i < placeholder.attributes.length; i++) { const attr = placeholder.attributes[i]; // Skip attributes we've already handled or don't want to copy if (!['class', 'data-src', 'data-type', 'data-cmp-src', 'data-cmp-attrs', 'data-cmp-processed', 'type', 'async', 'defer', 'src'].includes(attr.name)) { newScript.setAttribute(attr.name, attr.value); } } placeholder.parentNode.replaceChild(newScript, placeholder); // If external script, manually trigger window.onload handlers after it loads // This handles widgets that use window.onload for initialization if (src) { newScript.addEventListener('load', function() { // If page already loaded and script set a new onload handler, trigger it if (document.readyState === 'complete' && window.onload) { const originalOnload = window.onload; window.onload = null; // Clear temporarily to prevent loops originalOnload(); // Execute the handler } }); } }, delay); delay += 500; // 500ms delay between each script to allow full loading }); } cbsoptanon.onScriptsReady(function(cmp) { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (!allowed) { showPrivacyMessage(); } else { activateGatedScripts(); } }); cmp.ot.awaitInitialConsent(function(consent_model) { cmp.ot.addOnConsentChangedHandler(function() { cmp.ot.targetingAllowed(function(allowed) { if (allowed) { hidePrivacyMessage(); activateGatedScripts(); } else { showPrivacyMessage(); } }); }); }); });