PEN America: ‘This escalating battle for control over free expression in education should worry us all’
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel testified that the rise in educational gag orders and "escalating battle for control over free expression in education should worry us all." More
Student Disruption of a Judge’s Speech at Stanford U Deserved a Forceful Defense of Free Speech by the Administration, Says PEN America
“When a speaker has been invited to campus, they deserve the ability to speak and be heard, said Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager in free expression and education. “Students have… More
Universities Must Prioritize Both Campus Safety and Free Speech as Complementary, Not Competing Imperatives
During the past month, two public universities dealt with campus confrontations involving controversial speakers, student protesters, and apparent members of the Proud Boys, an organization heavily implicated in the… More
Political Litmus Test for Campus Speakers is Inimical to the Mission of Higher Education
“Berkeley Law School appears to have handled this controversy effectively,” Young continued, “making clear the provision violated the tenets of free speech, while also acknowledging that the student group… More
“Heckler’s Veto” Has No Place in Interrupting Speakers on College Campuses
(NEW YORK) -- Protestors at the University of New Mexico last week interrupted a speech by conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, who appeared at the invitation of conservative student group… More
Educational Gag Orders In Your Community: A Tip Sheet for Changing the Conversation
Here are a few steps you can take to help change the conversation about educational gag orders in your community. More
Educational Gag Orders Target Speech about LGBTQ+ Identities With New Prohibitions and Punishments
The effort to censor anti-LGBTQ identities in the classroom is expanding rapidly. More
In Higher Education, New Educational Gag Orders Would Exert Unprecedented Control Over College Teaching
In 2022, educational gag orders are being aimed squarely at colleges and universities to exert ideological control over what is being taught and read in classrooms. More
Steep Rise in Gag Orders, Many Sloppily Drafted
Over the last three weeks, 65 bills have been formally introduced in state legislatures across the country, a rate of roughly three bills per day. More
New Stop W.O.K.E. Act Fits Disturbing Pattern in Education Culture War
Governor DeSantis’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act, while undoubtedly aggressive, is no aberration. On the contrary, it is increasingly—and disturbingly—business as usual. More