‘Free Hugs lady’ asked not to return to Queen’s Centre

Robertson removed in response to complaints of student discomfort

Image supplied by: Carly Robertson
Carly Robertson was removed from campus on Oct 6.

For nearly a decade, Carly Robertson’s free hugs campaign has been a well-known effort at Queen’s, but students are about to see a lot less of her.

Robertson, known to many Queen’s students as the “Free Hugs lady,” has been asked by Queen’s not to return to the Queen’s Centre following complaints about her presence and behaviour. She’s been giving out hugs on Campus since 2015, but that came to an end when she was escorted out of the Queen’s Athletics & Recreation Centre (ARC) by campus security on Oct. 6.

According to Robertson, she’s a Christian performer known online as Joyfulfreehugsforjesus, but on Oct. 7, she received an e-mail from the University formally requesting that she not return to the facility, she said in an interview with The Journal.

In a statement to The Journal about the incident, Queen’s expanded on her removal.

“Campus Security and Emergency Services (CSES) recently responded to concerns received from people in the Queen’s Centre regarding the behaviour of an individual who wasn’t a member of the campus community,” Queen’s wrote. “Complaints cited student discomfort with an individual’s behaviour and messages being expressed, and alleged this person [Robertson] was recording students with a phone camera.”

The University said it will continue watching the situation, but Robertson hasn’t been officially banned. “Security staff didn’t issue a formal Notice of Prohibition (NOP). Security staff will continue to monitor the situation and may take further action if the unwelcome behaviour recurs,” Queen’s wrote.

When asked by The Journal how they felt about Robertson and her removal, Lindsey McBain, ArtSci ’27 shared that she was never personally bothered but understood the reasoning for her removal.

“I personally have never had a negative experience with the ‘Free Hugs’ lady […] However, I can understand the reasoning behind the [removal], as I’m aware that she holds certain political and religious beliefs that the school may not wish to be associated with,” she said.

Robertson sat down with The Journal to get her side of the story, where she confirmed she was escorted off campus and received an e-mail the following day.

“Security came up to me. I was just saying, ‘Hey, are you coming for a hug?’” Robertson said. “They were very kind, of course. They were never meant for me. But they said, ‘Some people were complaining, so I would suggest that you leave campus right now.’”

Robertson shared that she was quite surprised and upset but complied with the request. She expressed that her campaign is rooted in her Christian faith and a sense of purpose to spread “love, joy and peace” to youth.

Although not entirely certain of her next move, Robertson hopes to continue her free hugs campaign in Kingston and is actively trying to get back to Queen’s campus. She hopes to spread her message not only at Queen’s but also at universities throughout Ontario.

Tags

ARC, CSES, Free Hugs Lady, University

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