After males got here to Texas State College with indicators studying “Ladies are Property” and “Homo intercourse is sin,” the college additional contributed to the outrage with its preliminary assertion, which contained not a single phrase of condemnation over the incident.
Simply as many feared would occur, Donald Trump’s re-election as President of the US on November 5 immediately additional emboldened the misogynists, racists, and homophobes of the nation. Inside hours, MAGA males and boys coined a brand new sickening catchphrase, “Your physique, my alternative.” Ladies on social media have been flooded with the threatening phrase, whereas ladies have reported boys operating round excessive faculties chanting the phrases. On the similar time, Black Individuals nationwide have been despatched racist, threatening textual content messages telling them to report back to their “nearest plantation” to “choose cotton.”
Apparently, these hateful cases weren’t sufficient for a bunch of alleged “Christians” in Texas. Males who claimed to be a part of a Christian group referred to as the Official Road Preachers determined to go to Texas State College with indicators equating ladies to “slaves” and “property” and calling members of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood sinners and “worthy of demise.” They determined faculty college students shouldn’t be permitted to easily go to class for the day with out being instructed that they’re property, sinners, and should die. The lads’s indicators went viral, as did movies and photographs of predominantly feminine college students difficult the lads.
In response, the college initially launched an incredibly tame assertion.
Texas State College sparks outrage with dismissive assertion
Following the disturbing incident at Texas State College, the college launched a public assertion and left many aghast that it refused to sentence the show of hatred. As a substitute, the assertion was extra involved about defending the lads’s First Modification rights. It learn, “As a public establishment, TXST helps the First Modification and is required by state legislation to uphold freedom of speech in public areas on campus, even when such speech could understandably offend some members of our campus neighborhood.” The assertion went on to say that it had “protocols” to “permit people to soundly have interaction in expressive exercise on college property.”
Texas State College’s assertion was rapidly slammed on-line as people identified that the school may nonetheless condemn the hatred, even when its palms have been legally tied as a result of First Modification.
Thankfully, Texas State College’s president, Kelly Damphousse, launched a separate assertion acknowledging the wrongness of what occurred. It’s unclear who wrote the primary assertion, however Damphousse’s private message nearly appeared to sentence its flippant tone, writing that “any affordable individual” can be “disturbed” by what these males did on campus. He additionally acknowledged the affect on college students, stating, ” I understand how unsettling these experiences have been for me, so I’m certain that it was disturbing for our college students, their family and friends, our workers, and our alumni who have been within the Quad on the time, or who noticed the photographs and movies after the very fact.”
Whereas he acknowledged that the legislation prevented them from refusing to permit these males on campus or to ban their speech, he confirmed the college was exploring “authorized responses.” Damphousse additionally said plainly, “I condemn the hateful phrases these two males wrote and spoke whereas they have been on our campus. That sort of hate just isn’t welcome right here.” His assertion demonstrated how straightforward it’s to state the reality about hateful shows, elevating questions of why the college’s preliminary assertion did not do the identical.
Though his assertion was extra candid, many nonetheless criticized the college for not defending its college students. In accordance with the Irish Star, one pupil claimed she was referred to as a “w***e” by the lads whereas merely strolling to class and, when she instructed a Texas State official, was instructed she may do nothing as a result of it’s “free speech.” These males have been holding derogatory, offensive indicators and allegedly yelling slurs at ladies. It sounds much more doubtless their actions constituted harassment as a substitute of free speech.
Not solely is it deeply disturbing that males have gotten so emboldened as to voice their extremism and hatred in public, but additionally that authorities are responding by wanting the opposite approach, expressing reluctance to a lot as recommend hatred is fallacious, and dismissing potential harassment and threatening conduct as “free speech.”