(NEW YORK) PEN America today criticized TN HB 1476/SB 1741, the “Charlie Kirk Act,” which was passed by the Tennessee General Assembly on Monday and is headed now to the governor’s desk.
Kristen Shahverdian, Director of Higher Education and Free Expression at PEN America said: “This bill claims to protect free speech but in reality places demands on universities that will diminish free expression and that threaten excessive punishments for students and faculty. When a walk-out is defined as ‘the need to pause the event for any period of time,’ and that is paired with a requirement for mandatory punishments including suspensions or expulsions, the result is a bill that will deter counter-speech altogether.
“Furthermore, the bill calls for special protections for certain kinds of speech, such as ‘opposition to abortion, homosexuality, or transgender behavior,’ but political speech is already protected under the First Amendment. By naming protections for certain speech, this bill underhandedly elevates certain ideological viewpoints, suggesting they deserve a kind of more protected status. Twisting the First Amendment in this way undermines the very American principle of free speech.”
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Malka Margolies, [email protected], 718-530-3582