education
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Freedom of Speech Racism, sexism and homophobia is growing on college
campuses around the country. 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...