The Society for Political Methodology’s (SPM) annual meeting for 2018 will
be hosted by Brigham Young University (BYU). This site is controversial
given long-strained relations between the LGBTQ community and BYU. This has
chilled participation at the meeting by LGBTQ scholars, which is in turn a
concern of the American Political Science Association’s Status Committee
for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgender Individuals in the Profession
(LGBT Status Committee), a group not affiliated with SPM. SPM’s leadership
gave insufficient forethought to matters of diversity when it allowed BYU
to host the 2018 annual meeting.

However, in recent weeks a series of constructive, good-faith conversations
among the LGBT Status Committee, SPM, and BYU have yielded what all parties
believe is a positive outcome for 2018 and beyond. This joint statement
highlights the important actions taken in response to this controversy.

   - BYU’s original plans were to host most of the conference and all of
   the housing at the Provo Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. In response to
   the concerns raised by LGBTQ scholars and their allies, BYU agreed to move
   all conference events to the Provo Marriott. Marriott International
   prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or
   expression <http://marriott.com/gaytravel> in all operations and it has
   a score of 100 (out of 100) in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate
   Equality Index <https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/corporate-equality-index>.
   In addition, BYU notes that it was willing from the outset to host the
   entire conference at an off-site location had it been requested by SPM.


   - As the host institution, BYU reaffirms its commitment to welcoming all
   visiting scholars, including LGBTQ scholars, in a spirit of warmth and full
   inclusion, and it extends campus invitations to all visiting scholars. Each
   party recognizes that the goals of this conference are to further scholarly
   exchange and professional development for all.


   -  SPM has undertaken efforts to improve its governance and attention to
   diversity. It is adopting a fully inclusive statement of diversity <
   https://www.cambridge.org/core/membership/spm/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion>
   and a formal code of conduct <
   https://www.cambridge.org/core/membership/spm/about-us/diversity-and-inclusion/code-of-conduct-at-spm-events>
   for members at SPM events. The LGBT Status Committee endorses these
   changes. For future conferences, host institutions will be required to
   affirm these statements and conference participants will be required to
   sign the code of conduct. BYU has affirmed these statements for the 2018
   conference.


   - At this year’s SPM meeting in Provo, Utah, a plenary roundtable will
   discuss how to make SPM more diverse and inclusive, with discussion
   specifically about LGBTQ issues.


   - SPM and the LGBT Status Committee are co-sponsoring a roundtable about
   diversity in political methodology at the American Political Science
   Association’s 2018 annual meeting in Boston. In addition, SPM is also
   participating in the diversity and inclusion Hackathon organized by the
   APSA Presidential Task Force on Women’s Advancement.


   -  At the 2019 SPM meeting (to be hosted by MIT), SPM and the LGBT
   Status Committee will partner for a panel on LGBTQ issues in political
   methodology.


   -  SPM is committed to working in partnership with the LGBT Status
   Committee and other organizations on matters of diversity and in
   implementing best practices.

SPM apologizes for the way its host selection negatively affected
professional opportunities for LGBTQ scholars. This was never intended and
SPM promises to be more attuned to diversity and inclusion in the future.
While all of us acknowledge that the controversy has been detrimental, we
have worked in good faith to improve SPM’s organizational governance and
attention to diversity and inclusion. We encourage all scholars to attend
the 2018 conference and contribute to this important dialogue on diversity
and inclusion in political methodology.

Sincerely,

Jay Goodliffe, Chair of the 2018 Political Methodology Summer Meeting
Program Committee
Kosuke Imai, President of the Society for Political Methodology
Jami Taylor, Chair of the APSA LGBT Status Committee

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   Editors: Jonathan Homola  <[log in to unmask]>
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