Racism, sexism and homophobia is growing on college campuses around the.
In response, many universities have adopted policies that.
address bigotry by.
placing restrictions on speech. The alternative to such restrictions, many.
administrators.
argue, is to allow bigots to run rampant and to subject their targets to a.
loss of equal.
educational opportunity. The power of a university to eliminate bias on.
campus.
ultimately depends not on its ability to punish a racist speaker, but.
instead on the depth.
of its commitment to the principles of equality and education. Many.
universities, under.
pressure to respond to the concerns of those who are the objects of hate,.
have adopted.
codes or policies prohibiting speech that offends any group based on race,.
gender,.
ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.
That's the wrong response, well-meaning or not. The First Amendment to.
the.
United States Constitution protects speech no matter how offensive its.
content. Speech.
codes adopted by government financed state colleges and universities.
amount to.
government censorship, in violation of the Constitution. And the ACLU.
believes that.
all campuses should adhere to First Amendment principles because academic.
freedom.
is a bedrock of education in a free society. No social institution is.
better suited to fight.
bigotry than the university. It can do so in its courses and perhaps most.
importantly.
through the way it conducts itself as a community. We're not talking.
about choosing.
between the First Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment. We're talking.
about.
choosing between regulating speech and regulating action. Murder is.
illegal. Talking.
about it isn't. Freedom of thought and expression is particularly.
important on the.
college campuses. The educational forum is where individuals come.
together to.
participate in a process of shared inquiry and where the success of that.
endeavor.
depends on an atmosphere of openness, intellectual honesty and tolerance.