University professor makes students play ‘Female or Shemale?’

A university professor is under scrutiny after making his students play a game called “female or shemale?”

The quiz featured headshots of cisgender women next to transgender women, asking those taking it to work out which was which.

It was handed out by sociology professor David Sorbello during a class on gender, sexuality and sexual identity at State University of New York at Geneseo.

The title is accompanied by two stick figures dressed in stereotypically female clothes, though the one on the “Shemale” side appears to be accompanied by a phallic object.

Students were outraged, with sophomore Jillian Sternberg telling BuzzFeed that Sorbello’s in-class comments made matters worse.

“He just said: ‘We want you to write whether it’s female or she-male,’” she recalled.

“He never said what the point of the quiz was during the class, but when I addressed him afterward he said it was partly for humor and partly to discuss sexual dimorphism.”

But, she added, the lesson included no discussion of sexual dimorphism.

The professor also made several offensive jokes, Sternberg said.

“He said something along the lines of: ‘Be careful not to get too drunk or you’ll take the wrong one home.’

“He would comment on some of the pictures, like: ‘I’m definitely not going to the bar with you.’”

She said that after students had finished the quiz, “he even said: ‘I know a lot of you guys look uncomfortable.’”

When Sternberg approached the professor with a friend after the class, she said Sorbello apologised that they hadn’t found the quiz funny.

He also reportedly claimed that humour was the only way to approach the subject, before becoming angry at the pair.

“He was very mad that we were calling him out,” said Sternberg.

She said she later emailed Sorbello to apologise and say she could have approached him differently, while also emphasising that she found the quiz offensive.

Sorbello has not replied, she said, but has sent an email to all students telling them that laptops, mobiles and taking photos will now be banned in his class.

Sternberg said that up until this point, students had been allowed to photograph slides.

She said the incident and its subsequent media coverage had made her feel “really upset, because I don’t want it to be our reputation.

“I love my school.”

Jasmine Cui‏, who is majoring in Political Science, Economics and Violin Performance at the university, condemned Sorbello’s actions.

She said that “entertainment & social media are already rife with casual transphobia – to allow its proliferation in our education systems will only allow for its perpetuation.

“Say it with me: PEOPLE ARE NOT PROPS.”

She also wrote “to those calling this a “witch hunt” — he has a history of using POC & women as punchlines.

“This is not a first offence.”

The university’s president, Denise A. Battles, has said that the university is looking into what happened.

“A professor is reported to have presented materials and made comments about which some students have expressed concern,” she said in a statement.

“We are taking the matter very seriously and are gathering the facts to determine if and what action is warranted.

“The classroom is an environment in which students and faculty can and should discuss challenging topics and ideas, which makes it all the more important that we gather and fully review the facts in this case.”

Sorbello did not respond to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.