For example, in the UNC system, where I teach, administrators work with gay student organizations to co-sponsor gay proms, gay pride weeks, drag queen days, gay unity conferences, sermons by gay preachers, and even ?consultants? brought in to preach to university employees about the compatibility between the Bible and homosexuality. They offer no support for contrary viewpoints, even upon request.
When clear violations of the requirement of viewpoint neutrality are brought to the attention of UNC administrators, there is never an admission of wrongdoing. The policy of the UNC system is to lie to students or to ignore them altogether. UNC administrators know that they are violating the constitutional rights of their students but they correctly assume that, in most cases, students will not file suit to uphold the constitution. Furthermore, educators hope that after another generation of apathy, conservative Christians will be ignorant of whatever religious freedoms they may still retain.
But administrators at the University of Georgia have done something that UNC administrators would never do. They have now removed the aforementioned ?safe zone? document from the UGA website, presumably without a federal injunction.
Citizens of this country have every right to say that David, Jonathan, and Daniel were gay or that Ruth was a lesbian. I strongly support the rights of leftists to damage their credibility by saying stupid things in public.
But the constitution is supposed to protect offensive speech that is directed by individuals towards governments. It is not the role of the government to direct offensive speech towards its citizens, using public funds and dismissing public outcry under the guise of academic freedom.
The time has come for our public universities to assume the role of viewpoint neutral facilitators of political activism, not as political activists stifling the views of those with whom they disagree.
I get the sense that the University of Georgia has the capacity to admit (and correct) fundamental constitutional errors made in the name of political correctness. That is why my children will probably be wearing Georgia Red and Black, instead of Carolina Blue.