In December 1965, with growing discussion and tension on the subject of civil legal rights in the place, the college hosted a debate on the subject amongst conservative writer and commentator William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal African American journalist Louis Lomax. July 1, 2008 - Ebony Whitaker, an African American trans female, was shot and killed in Memphis. February 4, 2008 - Ashley Sweeney, a trans woman, was shot in the head.