Reply #119: Would you feel the same [View All]

[Pithlet]

If these were students who were fighting for the right to burn crosses in the common areas? Or, would you support a movement attempting to remove rules against sexual harassment? In both cases, the offenders could scream that their free speech rights are being violated, just as the gay bashing students are. If not, then how is the school telling students they can't bash GLBT students any different?

Free speech and allowing for free discourse doesn't mean that schools have to let students intimidate and bully others because of their race, sex, or sexual orientation. These rules weren't set up to stifle debate. They were meant to afford the same protections to GLBT students that others get. These student's free speech rights weren't violated any more than the ones who aren't allowed to hold klan rallies on campus in order to intimidate the black students. It isn't discourse to scream and yell bigoted slurs at other students, and set up organized efforts to make them unwelcome. This is about and the school making efforts to provide a harassment free learning experience to all its students, until the victimizers got legal representation and the school was bullied into removing the rules. So, now it's open season on the GLBT students once more.