American conservative transgender activist Brianna Wu sporadically attended college at University of Mississippi and Millsaps College between 1996 and 2006. Although students typically earn a bachelor’s degree after 8 semesters, Wu dropped out at age 29 without earning a degree from either school after attending college for 12 or 13 regular semesters.
Wu claimed to have a college degree on many occasions, and reporters have published Wu’s false claims without independently confirming if they were true. Wu has also described this fake degree as “my undergrad degree,” implying that Wu earned an advanced degree as well. The term “undergrad degree” is typically used by people with a master’s degree or doctorate to distinguish those degrees from their bachelor’s degree.
Wu’s claims of having a bachelor’s degree were independently confirmed to be false in 2015.
This page includes false claims by Wu, published misinformation about Wu’s education, and independently confirmed facts about Wu’s education.
False attendance and degree claims by Wu
On January 15, 2009, Wu posted: “One thing I learned while getting my degree is that, psychologically, people often decide how they feel about and then arrange reality to fit the conception they wish to have. [emphasis added]
On January 7, 2010, Wu posted: “I also want to say, based on my undergrad degree and my knowledge of American copyright law, I’m quite sure it’s infringement to just reuse the IGN logo and font without redrawing it significantly.” [emphasis added]
On May 1, 2011, Wu posted: “I’ve never taken a class in art, Illustrator, Maya, PS, zBrush or anything that’s kept me employed my whole life. My degree is in journalism and polisci. I also think that formal education is sort of a false God, to a certain extent. I’m not anti-education, I just don’t think it’s a singular path.” [emphasis added]
A Board of Directors bio supplied to VR firm High Fidelity stated: “Brianna Wu graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in Journalism and Political Science in 2008. Brianna majored in Journalism and their field of study was Journalism.” [emphasis added]
On June 18, 2014, Wu claimed on Twitter: “My degree isn’t in CS, I come from the newspaper journalism world. I fundamentally believe game journos are pros who try to get it right.” [emphasis added]
On the July 24, 2014 episode of The New Disruptors, Wu described to Glenn Fleishman the decision to return to college: “I’m gonna go finish my college degree and I’m gonna become a journalist, and I did. And I did investigative journalism for a few years.” [emphasis added – timecode 0:40.00]
On January 10, 2014, Wu claimed on Twitter: “I feel like everything I learned in college was outside my degree.” [emphasis added]
On October 14, 2014. game developer Elonka Dunin edited Wu’s Wikipedia biography to add Wu’s alleged degree, citing the July New Disruptors podcast:
“In 2003 she enrolled at the University of Mississippi, studying journalism and political science. […] she then dropped out of college to move to Washington DC […] after which she decided to work as a graphical designer, and return to college to finish her degree in investigative journalism.”
A 2017 Speakerpedia bio described Wu’s education:
“In 2003 she enrolled at the University of Mississippi, studying journalism and political science. At the age of 19, she formed a small animation studio to create an animated pilot episode. The venture was unsuccessful, resulting in her withdrawal from college and a move to Washington, DC to work in political fundraising for several years. She later returned to college to finish her degree in investigative journalism, then worked as a journalist until she was inspired by the release of the iPhone to work as a graphical designer and create a videogame.” [emphasis added]
At some point after that, the bio was “claimed,” meaning the claimant could make changes to the bio. The implied claims remained on the “claimed” bio until late 2024, when the claimant, presumably Wu, added a recent photo and removed the education passage entirely.
On LinkedIn, Wu claimed University of Mississippi attendance dates of 2003 to 2008. The profile does not mention Millsaps College. The actual dates of attendance at both schools are below.
Inaccurate reporting about Wu
On October 30, 2014, Boston Globe reporters Beth Teitell and Callum Borchers wrote: “A graduate of the University of Mississippi, Wu worked briefly in politics in Washington. ‘People are going to hate me,’ she said, ‘but I worked for Republicans.'” [emphasis added]
2015 transphobic exposé
In February 2015, anti-trans extremist Milo Yiannopoulos posted an exposé that deadnamed Wu, outed Wu as trans, and included a copy of Wu’s official enrollment records at University of Mississippi:
Name On School’s Records: [deadname redacted]
Degree Title: No Degree – Enrollment Only
Official Name of School: UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI
Dates of Attendance: 08/19/1996 to 07/29/2006
Wu announced a “break” from Twitter as these facts became public, citing stress about the upcoming Game Developers Conference and PAX East conferences.
Education history
- Wu attended K-12 schools in the Hattiesburg Public School District
- Wu reportedly had to repeat 7th grade
- Wu attended Hattiesburg High School, graduating in 1995
- Wu took over a year off before first attending University of Mississippi on August 19, 1996
- Wu left University of Mississippi in 1997 after two or three semesters
- Wu transferred to Millsaps College in Spring 1998
- Wu left Millsaps College after two semesters, following the Fall 1998 semester
- Wu founded animation studio Socially Unconscious Productions in early 1999
- Wu attempted to produce an animated feature titled The Cracker based on the masculine self-insert from the Socially Unconscious comic
- Socially Unconscious Productions ceased all operations in early 2000
- Wu returned to Millsaps College for two semesters in Spring and Fall 2000
- Wu dropped out again and moved to Washington, DC to work in Republican fundraising
- Wu’s parents dissolved Socially Unconscious Productions in 2002 after receiving no payments on $170,000 in loans
- Both parents sent Wu to rehab for drug addiction in 2002
- Wu returned to University of Mississippi in Fall 2003, attending for six semesters
- Wu was listed as a senior in the 2006 Ole Miss Yearbook
- Wu dropped out of University of Mississippi for the second time without earning a degree on July 29, 2006
Activity at University of Mississippi
Wu contributed writing to college publications, including the yearbook.
2006 Bush impeachment rally
In 2006, Wu organized a protest to coincide with the January 31 State of the Union address by President George W. Bush:
[Brianna Wu], a senior journalism major and the event’s organizer, said [she] got the idea to organize the rally after hearing radio advertisements sponsored by creators of the Web site http://www.worldcantwait.com. [Wu] said [she] learned the group was organizing Bush protests nationwide that would occur at the same time as Bush’s State of the Union address and wanted to bring the movement to Oxford.
“We feel very strongly that this impeachment rally is the best way for America to gain credibility in the world and show them that it’s the Bush administration who’s responsible [for the Iraq War] and not the American people,” [she] said.
University of Mississippi Gay-Straight Alliance
In February 2006 Wu was nominated for President of the Ole Miss GSA with Jarrad Powell and Jamie Carter: “New Officers Nominated: These are the GSA members who have been nominated to be officers for the next Academic year (2006-2007). If you wish to add a nomination please notify the group. For those who were nominated and not present if you wish to remove your nomination please notify Tommy Vasser. Elections will be in two weeks on April 12th.”
Wu began taking hormones in February 2006 and was appointed Director of Communications for the GSA that month. Wu gave a presentation in April titled Transsexualism and What You Should Know: “We thank [Brianna Wu] for discussing the facts behind Transsexualism this week. Anyone who has question can email [her] at [deadname redacted]@electioneveDOTcom”
References
Wu, Brianna (February 18, 2015). Why GSX is withdrawing from PAX EAST. https://spacechannel6.com/post/111384260988/why-gsx-is-withdrawing-from-pax-east
[CW: deadnaming, transphobia] Yiannopoulos, Milo (February 13, 2015). The Wacky World of Wu: The Tortured History of GamerGate’s Self-Styled Feminist Martyr. Breitbart https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2015/02/13/the-wacky-world-of-wu-the-tortured-history-of-gamergates-self-styled-feminist-martyr/
Teitell, Beth; Borchers, Callum (October 30, 2014). GamerGate anger at women all too real for gamemaker. Boston Globe http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/style/2014/10/29/threatening-video-gaming-industry-movement-grows-arlington-game-developer-forced-flee-her-home/BRHwDSGjMsSnHquH9jYQIJ/story.html
Fleishman, Glenn (July 24, 2014). Depth Takes a Holiday with Amanda Warner and Brianna Wu (Episode 84). The New Disruptors https://newdisrupt.org/2014/7/24/2014-7-24-depth-takes-a-holiday-with-amanda-warner-and-brianna-wu-episode-84/
Staff (April 12th, 2006). GSA BRIEFS. http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/gsa/apr12.htm [archive]
Staff (February 8, 2006). GSA Meeting Agenda/Minutes. http://www.olemiss.edu/orgs/gsa/feb8.htm [archive]
Covington, Marti (February 1, 2006). Ole Miss students hold Bush impeachment rally. Daily Mississippian http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/press-site-map-193/902-the-dmonline-ole-miss-students-hold-bush-impeachment-rally original URL: https://thedmonline.com/media/paper876/news/2006/02/01/News/Ole-Miss.Students.Hold.Bush.Impeachment.Rally-1547145.shtml