What Does "Free Speech" Mean On Campus?

According the ACLU, what’s the constitutional response to racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic speech? More of it—not less. 

I’m paraphrasing an article published by the ACLU on their website addressing the freedom of speech on college campuses. The line above that I’m referencing stuck out to me specifically. The article, which can be found at this link, says that more speech & debate is the solution to offensive or bigoted speech. 

I’ve done past research on free speech on college campuses, and I’ve found most frequently within our educational institutions, there is a very specific brand of censorship which ensures that ideas, speakers, campaigns, or films that feature offensive rhetoric are altogether banned from coming to campuses across the United States.

While sanctions such as these often masquerade as “wokeness,” the unfortunate result is an obvious limitation on free speech—and any limitation is a constitutional violation. The ACLU draws a reasonable conclusion: “Speech that deeply offends our morality or is hostile to our way of life warrants the same constitutional protection as other speech because the right of free speech is indivisible.” 

The inclusivity that campus groups protest for sake of is the very same inclusivity under the law that allows for controversial—and often labelled “hate”—speech. 

I found this article to be particularly interesting as a college student; moreover, I found it to be a fitting introduction to my blog posts this semester. The years I spend earning my undergraduate degree are foundational to my civic identity. I believe its incredibly important to be surrounded by people and ideas that are vastly different from my own. 

A campus that is censored is an echo-chamber; when everyone believes the same thing, there is no debate, no conflict, no resolution, and most significantly, there is no growth. And I have no intention graduating with the same ideas that I had when I began my time at High Point University.