Latest news with #SB129
The Hill
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Judge refuses to block Alabama school DEI ban
U.S. District Judge David Proctor declined to impose a preliminary injunction that bans diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, along with the teaching of 'divisive concepts,' in public schools and universities. The judge ruled the University of Alabama professors and students did not meet the standard for a preliminary injunction after they argued the new law violates their First Amendment rights. The case will continue but the law will remain in place for now. The Alabama law, which went into affect last October, prohibits schools from hosting or funding DEI programs and says 'divisive concepts' such as making one feel guilty or complicit about past or present actions because of their race or ethnicity. The judge argued this law does not prohibit professors from teaching these subjects, but 'it expressly permits classroom instruction that includes 'discussion' of the listed concepts so long as the 'instruction is given in an objective manner without endorsement' of the concepts.' 'If, alternatively, the theory she teaches about is that there is empirical evidence that racism may be a cause for health disparities, or if she frames such teaching as merely a theory, she would not violate SB 129,' the judge wrote in his decision. The professors argued they have changed lessons plans due to the law and that it violates their academic freedom.
27-06-2025
- Politics
Federal judge weighs whether Alabama's anti-DEI law threatens First Amendment
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Professors and students at the University of Alabama testified on Thursday that a new an anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law has jeopardized funding and changed curriculum, as a federal judge weighs whether the legislation is constitutional before the new school year begins. The new state law, SB129, followed a slew of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses. Universities across the country have shuttered or rebranded student affinity groups and DEI offices. The law prohibits public schools and universities from using state funds for any curriculum that endorses or compels assent to viewpoints about eight 'divisive concepts' related to race, religion, gender identity and religion. Instructors are also prohibited from encouraging a person feel guilt because of those identities. Schools are still allowed to facilitate 'objective' discussions on those topics, according to the law. Dana Patton, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, was one of six professors and students who sued the school and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey in January, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators' speech. The lawsuit also argued that the law unconstitutionally targets Black students because it emphasizes concepts related to race and limits programs that benefit Black students. Shortly after the law took effect in October, Patton said that school officials told her that five students had made complaints suggesting that the interdisciplinary honors program she administered had potential conflicts with the new legislation. The program focuses on social justice and community service. University officials said a 'powerful person' in the state Capitol was behind the five student complaints, Patton testified. The complaints alleged the program 'promoted socialism' and focused on 'systematic racism" and 'producing engaged global citizens as opposed to patriotic Americans,' according to evidence presented at the hearing. The complaints also said students 'feel unsafe' because 'the leadership of the program has a clear view of the world from a divisive perspective." 'I was completely shocked, stunned," Patton said. After weeks of meetings where Patton exhaustively laid out the content of her courses to administrators, she said she was introduced to Alabama Republican Rep. Danny Garrett at a school football game. Garret told her that 'we need compromise here' because the legislators involved in the complaints are 'tenacious' and 'not going to let this go.' He then sent her links to work he had done with Black Democratic state legislators after the death of George Floyd to address racial tension. Patton said the conversation 'very much felt like a threat' because Garrett is the chair of the Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee, which is one of two legislative committees that oversees the university's funding. The tenured professor said she has since removed some course material from her syllabus and is no longer posting slides of her lectures online, out of fear that her lessons might be misinterpreted. Garrett declined to comment on the pending litigation. Jay Ezelle, the defense attorney for the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, said the school had an obligation to investigate if students complain about being tested on an opinion, not on a performance. 'If that's violated, the university has to investigate, correct?' Ezelle asked during cross-examination. He added that the law had not created any measurable harm against the plaintiffs, because no faculty had been terminated or formally disciplined, and school administrators had sourced private funding for some affinity groups, who still have access to campus facilities. Other professors testified that they felt compelled to pull class assignments or stop offering classes altogether based on Patton's experience, as well as formal instruction from the university about the 'risks' of testing students on divisive concepts. Rising senior Sydney Testman said she lost her scholarship because it was tied to her job at the Social Justice Advocacy Council, which was terminated after the anti-DEI legislation went into effect. 'No one wants to say it's disproportionately affecting Black people,' she said. 'The vibes are kind of 'everyone fend for yourselves.'' Federal U.S. Chief Judge R. David Proctor said the case will largely hinge on whether classroom speech is protected under the First Amendment and whether the state has a right to influence curriculum. Proctor will also consider if the six students and professors who brought the lawsuit against the University of Alabama have been harmed by the new law. He said he will make a decision in time for Alabama schools to have 'clarity by the start of school.'
San Francisco Chronicle
27-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Federal judge weighs whether Alabama's anti-DEI law threatens First Amendment
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Professors and students at the University of Alabama testified on Thursday that a new an anti-diversity, equity and inclusion law has jeopardized funding and changed curriculum, as a federal judge weighs whether the legislation is constitutional before the new school year begins. The new state law, SB129, followed a slew of proposals from Republican lawmakers across the country taking aim at DEI programs on college campuses. Universities across the country have shuttered or rebranded student affinity groups and DEI offices. The law prohibits public schools and universities from using state funds for any curriculum that endorses or compels assent to viewpoints about eight 'divisive concepts' related to race, religion, gender identity and religion. Instructors are also prohibited from encouraging a person feel guilt because of those identities. Schools are still allowed to facilitate 'objective' discussions on those topics, according to the law. Dana Patton, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, was one of six professors and students who sued the school and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey in January, arguing that the law violates the First Amendment by placing viewpoint-based restrictions on educators' speech. The lawsuit also argued that the law unconstitutionally targets Black students because it emphasizes concepts related to race and limits programs that benefit Black students. Shortly after the law took effect in October, Patton said that school officials told her that five students had made complaints suggesting that the interdisciplinary honors program she administered had potential conflicts with the new legislation. The program focuses on social justice and community service. University officials said a 'powerful person' in the state Capitol was behind the five student complaints, Patton testified. The complaints alleged the program 'promoted socialism' and focused on 'systematic racism" and 'producing engaged global citizens as opposed to patriotic Americans,' according to evidence presented at the hearing. The complaints also said students 'feel unsafe' because 'the leadership of the program has a clear view of the world from a divisive perspective." 'I was completely shocked, stunned," Patton said. After weeks of meetings where Patton exhaustively laid out the content of her courses to administrators, she said she was introduced to Alabama Republican Rep. Danny Garrett at a school football game. Garret told her that 'we need compromise here' because the legislators involved in the complaints are 'tenacious' and 'not going to let this go.' He then sent her links to work he had done with Black Democratic state legislators after the death of George Floyd to address racial tension. Patton said the conversation 'very much felt like a threat' because Garrett is the chair of the Alabama House Ways and Means Education Committee, which is one of two legislative committees that oversees the university's funding. The tenured professor said she has since removed some course material from her syllabus and is no longer posting slides of her lectures online, out of fear that her lessons might be misinterpreted. Garrett declined to comment on the pending litigation. University lawyer says law hasn't caused harm Jay Ezelle, the defense attorney for the University of Alabama Board of Trustees, said the school had an obligation to investigate if students complain about being tested on an opinion, not on a performance. 'If that's violated, the university has to investigate, correct?' Ezelle asked during cross-examination. He added that the law had not created any measurable harm against the plaintiffs, because no faculty had been terminated or formally disciplined, and school administrators had sourced private funding for some affinity groups, who still have access to campus facilities. Professors said they had to remove class assignments Other professors testified that they felt compelled to pull class assignments or stop offering classes altogether based on Patton's experience, as well as formal instruction from the university about the 'risks' of testing students on divisive concepts. Rising senior Sydney Testman said she lost her scholarship because it was tied to her job at the Social Justice Advocacy Council, which was terminated after the anti-DEI legislation went into effect. 'No one wants to say it's disproportionately affecting Black people,' she said. 'The vibes are kind of 'everyone fend for yourselves.'' Federal U.S. Chief Judge R. David Proctor said the case will largely hinge on whether classroom speech is protected under the First Amendment and whether the state has a right to influence curriculum. Proctor will also consider if the six students and professors who brought the lawsuit against the University of Alabama have been harmed by the new law. ___
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
College Campuses Are Closing Their Women's and LGBTQ+ Centers
All products featured on Teen Vogue are independently selected by Teen Vogue editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate University of Alabama's Safe Zone center was a haven for LGBTQ+ students in search of community and a support network. Anyone could walk into the Safe Zone lounge in the Student Center and grab a snack, peruse the center's queer library, or chat with the dedicated professional staff who provided specialized resources for LGBTQ+ students. 'The safe zone has given me a safe place to meet friends on a campus where I otherwise feel isolated,' wrote a student whose anonymous testimony was collected in 2024 by the school's Queer Student Association. 'It's a place where I know I won't be judged for who I am and I can safely be myself,' wrote another. Having a safe space and a sense of community on campus was a 'lifeline,' a third student said. Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take But in August 2024, all that changed when Safe Zone was closed due to Alabama's SB 129, which prohibits the sponsorship of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and the promotion of 'divisive concepts' in public universities, state agencies, and local boards of education. The center has been transformed into a generic 'Student Leadership Lab.' The closure had a 'dampening effect' on the school's LGBTQ+ community, according to recent Alabama graduate and former Queer Student Association president Bryce Schottelkotte. The whole campus 'used to feel like a lot more of a safe space for being queer,' she told Teen Vogue, 'because there was a specific, university-funded space for being queer.' After the closure, 'It was kind of like, Oh, well, am I even wanted on this campus anymore?' she added. Since August 2023, at least 31 gender- and sexuality-based resource centers have shuttered across 23 college campuses, according to data collected by the Chronicle of Higher Education and additional research by Teen Vogue. Sixteen of those were LGBTQ+ centers, eight were women's centers, and seven fell under a broader category of spaces called 'Gender and Sexuality Centers' or 'Gender Equity Centers.' While LGBTQ+ centers seem to be the most common casualties, other identity-based centers have been swept up too, creating confusion about what counts as diversity, equity, and inclusion and leading to a patchwork of campus offerings. Some schools have also eliminated multicultural offices and resource centers oriented around race. All 31 closures thus far have occurred in states with majority-Republican legislatures. (Nebraska's legislature is officially nonpartisan, but the majority of its members are registered Republicans.) Of those centers, 15 closed after the presidential election, including nine post-inauguration, with students and staff fearful that more closures will follow. There are bills pending in a number of states that could impact offices considered to be related to DEI, including gender and sexuality centers, according to the Chronicle. Other state-level legislation has already taken effect or is currently being implemented. For example, public universities in Ohio are beginning to make changes after Governor Mike DeWine signed a DEI ban in March. The bill requires schools to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs by September. A University of Alabama spokesperson confirmed to Teen Vogue that the closures were a result of government actions, writing in a statement, 'Initiatives, programs, and resources across campus that were not in compliance with applicable state and federal laws have been discontinued.' In addition to state-level actions, the federal government is also playing a major role in opposing DEI, which President Donald Trump has made a cornerstone of his administration. So far, he's threatened the funding of K-12 public schools that have DEI programs, signed an executive order targeting DEI in higher education, and sought to eliminate any such programs within the federal government and private sector companies. Given the already-existing pattern of closures due to state laws, it seems likely that gender- and sexuality-based spaces at universities will continue to dwindle as schools face even more pressure from the new presidential administration to stamp out diversity programs. Although gender and sexuality centers vary from campus to campus, they generally offer both community-building events and tangible services tailored toward the needs of women and queer students ranging from free pregnancy tests to gender-inclusive clothing swaps. Kaz Hayes, president of the Georgia Institute of Technology's Pride Alliance student group, recalled visiting the school's LGBTQIA Resource Center for help with filling out name-change forms with the university. Lilli Hime, who worked as a program coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin's Gender and Sexuality Center before it closed in 2024, recalled fielding questions from students about issues like reporting bias incidents in the classroom or finding gender-inclusive housing and restrooms. All products featured on Teen Vogue are independently selected by Teen Vogue editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission. At HBCUs, Some Queer Students Say They Have a Choice: Come Out or Join Divine 9 Greek Life 'The students who came into our center, the problems they had, that was our business,' they continued. 'It was a very tangible, very visible thing. Sometimes, you would see how people entered the space, especially for the first time, and the way their shoulders would un-tense and they would be like, 'Okay, I found a place that can be a home base for me on campus.'' 'These resources are also lifesaving,' Hime added. According to research cited by The Trevor Project, young LGBTQ+ people are about four times as likely to attempt suicide as their peers, with queer youth of color being particularly at risk. These populations are statistically less likely to attempt suicide when LGBTQ+-affirming spaces are available, like gender and sexuality centers on campuses. Some LGBTQ+ centers also offer crisis funds for students in emergencies. 'For queer and trans folks, there's just the greater risk of losing financial support from parents or family or guardians,' Hime said. 'And so having a crisis fund really helped that.' Gender- and sexuality-based identity centers have existed on campuses nationwide for 65 years, since the first college women's center was founded at the University of Minnesota in 1960. Brenda Bethman, who served as director of the Women's Center at the University of Missouri-Kansas City until she retired last year, co-edited a book about women's and gender equity centers. Many women's centers, she said, arose in the 1970s out of second-wave feminism in tandem with women's studies academic departments as more and more women began to attend college. When women arrived on campuses, she said, they were 'not always very welcome and not finding their needs accommodated.' Women's centers aimed to meet these needs, providing support in areas like career development or sexual assault response. Bethman noted that women's centers were particularly useful as divorce rates rose and produced a group of women students who needed help finding jobs and childcare. They 'had vastly different needs than a traditional 18-year-old undergraduate,' she said. LGBTQ+ centers started to emerge amid the rise in women's centers and often collaborated or were housed under the same umbrella, Bethman said. Around the late 2000s, 'a lot of centers started changing their name in response to doing increasing work with trans people,' which is why many centers now have broader names like Gender and Sexuality Resource Center or Gender Equity Center. Nikki Hewett, who graduated this spring from UT Austin, says her school's Gender and Sexuality Center was 'kind of what brought me to UT in the first place.' When she heard the news that the center would be closing, 'It definitely felt like, well, what is the point in staying at this school?' Hewett served as president of the Gender and Sexuality Collective, a student group, and wrote an honors thesis documenting the closure of their school's center and its effect on student mental health and well-being. 'Students are experiencing what appears to be grief over losing the center,' they said, noting that many of the students they've interviewed have reported being negatively affected by losing access to the free mental health care the center provided via peer support groups. During her senior year, Schottelkotte also felt the effect of her center's closure. In February, the University of Alabama's Young Americans for Freedom chapter successfully lobbied to be exempt from a requirement that their club's constitution bar discrimination based on 'gender identity or expression, or sexual identity.' Schottelkotte and her peers were left wondering, Who do we talk to about this? 'Because a year ago," she said, "if this had happened, oh, cool, we could have gone to Safe Zone.' Instead, they've had to figure things out on their own. Even before Trump's second term began, a number of institutions of higher education had started to embrace renaming strategies, this time in an attempt to preserve the services housed in DEI offices. That trend has continued since Trump took office, with it appearing that some universities are trying to avoid full-on shutdowns of their gender and sexuality centers by rebranding. Georgia Tech, for example, decided in February to merge its LGBTQIA Resource Center, Women's Resource Center, and Black Culture, Innovation, and Technology group under the Arts, Belonging, and Community department. But Hayes, the university Pride Alliance president, reported that the LGBTQIA Resource Center mostly remains in operation. 'The actual physical room that it's in is not changed, except for the signage,' Hayes said. 'I think more pride flags have actually been put up on the walls' since the announcement, they said, joking. The school's communications team wrote in a statement to Teen Vogue that 'the space and staff that formerly comprised the LGBTQIA+ Resource Center remain active and continue to host community-building events as part of the new department. These services and events are, as they have always been, open to all members of our community.' All products featured on Teen Vogue are independently selected by Teen Vogue editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission. Dear Trans Kids, You Don't Need the Government's Permission to Exist Hayes noted that the center's typical programming has mostly continued as usual, but without explicit indications that the activities are tailored to queer students. For example, the center's biweekly 'Queer Coffee House' event is now being advertised in university-approved communications as simply 'Coffee House.' 'What are we going to do for freshman orientation events?' he wondered. 'The resources are here, they're in this building. You just have to go find them.' As far as the future of this center that seems to be hidden in plain sight, Hayes said, 'I'm maybe cautiously optimistic that this is all we're gonna have to do.' But he also expressed doubts that the university could truly protect these resources by rebranding: 'It's kind of naive to think that it's gonna be fine to just rename everything and call it a day.' Some universities, including Georgia Tech, seem to be preemptively complying with anti-DEI sentiment before relevant state laws are even passed. Georgia Tech ordered its DEI center closures soon after state lawmakers introduced SB 120, a proposal to strip funding from public schools and universities that have DEI programs, but the bill was tabled in March. 'These actions are not a direct result of these orders. They are a calculated attempt at risk management,' the school's Pride Alliance wrote on Instagram. 'By redistributing these centers' services to another department, GT is attempting to avoid closer scrutiny. At the same time, these resources will become severely limited in their scope and autonomy.' In a February newsletter to community members, Georgia Tech vice president for Student Engagement & Well-Being Luoluo Hong linked the reshuffling of programming and services on the university level with the Department of Education's directive that month to end racial preferences at educational institutions that receive federal funds and an executive order targeting campus DEI programs, as well as the then-pending state legislation. Texas lawmakers were among the first in the country to pass a DEI ban that effectively wiped out gender and sexuality centers at the state's public universities. After the passage of Senate Bill 17, the University of Houston's LGBTQ Resource Center closed in August 2023, with Texas A&M University and UT Austin following suit. At UT Austin, the Gender and Sexuality Center was renamed the Women's Community Center and stopped hosting explicitly queer-related programming. 'The argument of closing centers for anti-DEI bills is like, 'You're discriminating against people who aren't this identity.' But even when we were an LGBTQ center, we were open to everyone. We've never turned anyone away,' Hime said. 'Whoever needed the center, it was for them.' But ultimately, UT Austin's attempt to reshuffle failed. In April 2024, UT Austin announced that the new Women's Community Center would close. UT Austin communications did not respond to multiple requests for comment. For Hime, who lost their job when the center closed, SB 17 hadn't initially given them much pause: It was 'just another legislative attack' in a line of many in Texas. They recalled a 2011 budget amendment requiring schools with LGBTQ+ resource centers to allocate equal amounts of funding to centers focused on 'family and traditional values.' 'My reaction was just, 'Here they go again,'' Hime said. 'I do not think I could have foreseen how badly it would go.' All products featured on Teen Vogue are independently selected by Teen Vogue editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission. How to Get an Abortion if You're a Teen After Roe v. Wade Was Overturned Hewett worries that the continuing cascade of closures across the US could create 'a separation, like only queer students who can afford to go to a private school would be able to have these resources, and if you can't then you don't have them. And that's just a divide that I think would be really unfair to the students.' For now, gender and sexuality center closures have largely been concentrated at public universities. But Bethman, who edited the 2019 book about women's centers, pointed to recent revocations of federal funds from private colleges like Columbia University as an indicator that funding for programs considered DEI, even at private universities, could be at risk. Private universities also have other entities to answer to, Bethman noted. 'With private schools, it's not always a government push or a legislative push, but it can be the boards,' she said. 'It's kind of hard to know if boards might try to overcompensate and change things.' With so many factors up in the air, students who've lost resource centers are fending for themselves. Hayes's Pride Alliance group is working to fill the communication gap for Georgia Tech's queer community. Schottelkotte's Queer Student Association at the University of Alabama is also shouldering some of the responsibility of supporting LGBTQ+ students, and they've been able to obtain outside funding from organizations like the Alabama ACLU and the school's LGBTQ Alumni Association to put on social events for students who can no longer visit Safe Zone. 'QSA can do its best to make up for the loss of the social aspect of Safe Zone,' she said. 'But I'm a 21-year-old college student. I don't have the ability, the resources, the knowledge, or the funds to make up for everything that Safe Zone once did.' In their thesis research, Hewett has found that many student leaders working to keep the spirit of UT Austin's center alive are 'very tired and stressed' from the responsibility. 'One student mentioned it feels like a full-time job to try and keep these things up. Since, I mean, it was a person's full-time job before.' Beyond the impossibility of students being able to do this full-time work on top of classes and other commitments, Hewett also worried about other far-reaching effects of the Gender and Sexuality Center's closure. 'I am a bit concerned just because of the campus climate,' she said. 'A lot of students…have mentioned being more scared to be queer on campus or in public.' Schottelkotte is hopeful, though, about the future of queer student advocacy. 'Just because the [legislature] in [Alabama's capital of] Montgomery doesn't think that we exist and doesn't think that we should exist doesn't mean that we're going to stop existing,' she said. 'There are a lot of people on this campus who are not going to go quietly.' If you're in crisis or experiencing suicidal ideations, help is available. You can reach the suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. To reach an LGBTQ+-trained crisis counselor, dial 988 and press 3. You can also text with an LGBTQ+-trained counselor by sending the word PRIDE to 988, or you can chat online here. You can also reach out to the Trevor Project's crisis services here, by calling 1-866-488-7386, or by texting 'START' to 678678. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Check out more Teen Vogue education coverage: Affirmative Action Benefits White Women Most How Our Obsession With Trauma Took Over College Essays So Many People With Student Debt Never Graduated College The Modern American University Is a Right-Wing Institution
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama officials seek to dismiss lawsuit challenging state DEI ban
The University of Alabama Student Center on the campus of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Monday Jan. 13, 2024. Alabama officials argued in a motion to dismiss that professors, students and the NAACP lack standing to sue. (Will McLelland/Alabama Reflector) Alabama officials have filed motions seeking to dismiss a lawsuit challenging SB 129, a law that limits diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public universities and the teaching of so-called 'divisive concepts.' The Alabama Attorney General's office and members of the University of Alabama (UA) Board of Trustees argue that the University of Alabama professors and University of Alabama Birmingham students suing to overturn the law lack standing and that their claims fail to establish any constitutional violations. The plaintiffs, who also include the Alabama NAACP, allege that SB 129, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the First Amendment. Plaintiffs argue that the law discriminates against minority students and faculty by restricting funding for student groups and eliminating campus spaces designed to support minority students. The attorney general's office claims plaintiffs 'fail to show how each and every provision of the Act harms them,' arguing that plaintiffs 'fail to include sufficient allegations to 'nudge their claim across the line from conceivable to plausible.'' The Board of Trustees stated in a separate motion that the law does not prevent discussions on race but prohibits faculty from requiring students to adopt specific perspectives. 'As it relates to the classroom, SB 129 states that professors may not 'direct or compel' students 'to personally affirm, adopt, or adhere' to one of eight 'divisive concepts' defined in the statute,' the motion states. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The law, which took effect last October, bars public universities from funding DEI programs and prevents discussions of concepts lawmakers deem divisive. It includes prohibitions against 'compelling' students to believe that any race is inherently superior or that people are responsible for historical injustices committed by others of the same race. UAB students, UA professors sue Alabama over state law banning DEI programs Ahead of SB 129's enforcement, universities across the state shuttered or rebranded DEI offices and closed dedicated campus spaces for its Black Student Union and LGBTQ+ resource center. Plaintiffs argued that the law's impact disproportionately affects minority students by restricting funding for student organizations such as the University of Alabama NAACP chapter. Attorneys for the board argued that the plaintiffs' allegations 'do not involve any claim that Black students were treated differently from other students.' 'Plaintiffs instead rely on the precarious assumption that coursework related to diversity benefits Black students 'in particular,' because of their race,' the motion further states. Professor Cassandra Simon, one of the plaintiffs, stated in the lawsuit that she fears discussing racial issues because students have previously expressed feelings of guilt or complicity after watching material on the Civil Rights Movement. Lawyers for the state argue that this does not constitute a First Amendment violation, even if Simon has already faced threats of termination for teaching a class on systemic inequality. The motion stated that 'even construing these allegations as true and viewing them in the light most favorable to Plaintiffs, Professor Simon's fear is not objectively reasonable,' saying that simply showing material related to the Civil Rights Movement does not 'direct or compel' students to accept the concept or 'penalize or discriminate' when students aren't in agreement. 'Professor Simon does not have standing to challenge any provision of the Act based on such conduct. The same is true of the other Professors' allegations regarding their subjective fears that teaching 'about' topics could violate the Act,' the motion states. The defense also pushed back against claims that SB 129 is too vague, arguing that the law is clearly defined. 'Though Plaintiffs may not like its terms, the act is readily understood,' the motion states. Plaintiffs have until April 18 to respond to the state's motion. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
