A conservative college coterie has found itself in hot water, and it’s over the club’s statements on sex.
March 8th was International Women’s Day, and Long Island University student organization LIU Freedom Fighters celebrated. On Instagram, the group honored “all transgender women and femmes, who are facing the threat of transfemicide across these United States, and beyond.”
The school’s American Club — comprised of Turning Point USA, Young America’s Foundation, Young Americans for Liberty, and Students for Life — responded with posts of its own.
Quotes from a collection of four Instagram entries:
- “On International Women’s Day, the ‘LIU Freedom Fighters’ Honors Men.”
- “On International Women’s Day, we honor real womanhood.”
- “Men can’t be women, women can’t be men. How many times must it be said?”
- (As part of a meme) “When men pretending to be women celebrate International Women’s Day.”
- “‘You are either a man or a woman. You do not get to switch from one category to another.’ — Matt Walsh”
The above resulted in an open letter to LIU’s administration alleging misconduct on the part of the American Club.
Per the Freedom Fighters:
[T]he…American Club posted a series of transphobic stories… … [T]his behavior…is…disgusting.
[I]t goes against the Student Code of Conduct. The LIU Ethos Statement reads:
“The LIU Student Code of Conduct is founded on the principles of respect for oneself, respect for others, respect for property, respect for authority, and honesty.”
While laws and regulation complicate the school’s ability to bar the club from campus, there is no question that the principle of “respect for others” has been violated.
Situation: critical…
The line that separates opinion from hate speech has been crossed, and as a school that claims to prioritize [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion], this is a critical inflection point.
According to the Freedom Fighters, if LIU didn’t discipline the American Club — AKA “[denounce] transphobia and [enforce] DEI” — it would “force the transgender, nonbinary, and all LGBTQIA+ students to fend for themselves in a hostile environment.”
We’re living in unprecedented times. Previously, ideological opposition spoken to the average American might prompt no reaction at all. But presently, disagreement equates to “harm;” expressing thoughts that a given individual doesn’t share makes that person “unsafe.”
Gone are the days of “sticks and stones;” words will brutally break us:
Academics Fear the ‘Hate’ of Free Speech as a Liberated Twitter Looms
University’s ‘Non-Sexist’ Language Guide Insists No One is Rightly a ‘Maintenance Man’
State University Tells Students It’s Wrong to Say ‘Female’ or ‘America’
Host of School’s Free Speech Event Issues Language Guide Prohibiting ‘Man,’ ‘Woman,’ and ‘Mother’
Legal Journal Publishes Plea for Hate Speech Laws Protecting Animals
Back to Long Island University, the American Club has reportedly been dealt with.
From Campus Reform:
On March 13th, the American Club…was notified via email that it had been suspended pending the outcome of an investigation being conducted by the University.
Campus Reform obtained access to this notice, which was addressed to LIU American Club President Matthew Cairo, who is also a Campus Reform Correspondent.
The notice begins, “It has come to our…attention that at least four Instagram stories connected to International Women’s Day were shared from the LIU American Club account on or around March 8, 2023,” claiming that the stories constitute “potential violations of the LIU Student Code of Conduct and LIU Internet and Social Media Policy.” The notice goes on to cite the school’s “verbal or physical harassment” policy.
“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” is the new American way. And amid our modern mode, people are warring over words and ideas. In the name of diversity and inclusion, nonconforming ones will be excluded.
Back to “Freedom Fighters,” the association defines the terms online:
Freedom Fighter: A person who takes part in a resistance movement against an oppressive political or social establishment.
There’s a lot of that going around.