Yesterday the Board of Governors for the University of North Carolina System approved changes to the Policy Manual that regulates all public universities in the state: The University shall neither solicit nor require an employee or applicant for academic admission or employment to affirmatively ascribe to or opine about beliefs, affiliations, ideals, or principles regarding matters of...
Pronoun battle ends with a win
Turns out leftist ideology has a fatal flaw when it comes to public institutions. The leftists keep pushing this mantra of how fundamentally flawed our society is, in essence making a political argument about race and gender. They want to use this political ideology to restrict speech. But you can’t compel political speech at public institutions. More detail on the 6th Circuit ruling here...
Survey data show that Democrats love censorship; Republicans do not
U North Dakota backs down on mandatory preferred pronouns and open bathrooms
UND was proposing a plan that ... would require the use of a transgender person’s preferred pronouns and the use of facilities that align with their gender identity. Guess what happened next? Public uproar: UND has stopped work on a proposed gender inclusion policy that caught the attention of the North Dakota Catholic Conference and sparked a community conversation. In a message released on the...
Left-wing professors are also targeted when they speak out
A college did not renew a professor’s contract because she criticized Vice President Pence as well as her college’s pandemic response. FIRE has filed on her behalf. During last October’s vice presidential debate, Burnett tweeted: “The moderator needs to talk over Mike Pence until he shuts his little demon mouth up.” The tweet was picked up by conservative media outlets highlighting...
Universities cannot compel professors to use preferred pronouns
I missed this case from last March. It explains why NCSU allows students to enter their preferred pronouns into the student information system, but says nothing about faculty using them. Shawnee State University instituted a policy requiring that students be referred to by their preferred pronouns, and a faculty member refused to comply. He filed a federal lawsuit, and the Sixth Circuit’s...
Good Epoch Times article about my case
Unfortunately it’s behind a paywall. Here are some excerpts: Having a dissenting view within the prevailing orthodoxies of many universities today can lead to “a death by a thousand cuts,” according to a lawyer who specializes in constitutional law. Samantha Harris, with Allen Harris Law in Connecticut, represents Stephen Porter, a professor at North Carolina State University (NCSU). Porter...
Data on college students’ support for controversial speakers
As you might suspect, it’s pretty low, especially for conservative speakers. From a national survey by FIRE, the question is “Student groups often invite speakers to campus to express their views on a range of topics Regardless of your own views on the topic, would you support or oppose your school ALLOWING a speaker on campus who promotes the following idea:”
Can a school board ban Washington Redskins clothing?
The board just enacted this rule, effective in the fall: Students may not wear clothing with words, pictures or caricatures based on negative stereotypes of a specific gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation or disability. Students may not wear shirts, hats or other attire with Native American team names, logos or mascots that depict negative stereotypes. A list of team...
There is no such thing as hate speech
Volokh is on the case: I keep hearing about a supposed “hate speech” exception to the First Amendment, or statements such as, “This isn’t free speech, it’s hate speech,” or “When does free speech stop and hate speech begin?” But there is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment. Hateful ideas (whatever exactly that might mean) are just as protected under the First Amendment as other ideas...