Recently, an opinion piece was published in the Daily Mail that misrepresented the AHA’s stance on recent student protests at Yale Law School and student activism in general.
The AHA unequivocally supports the rights of students to protest and strongly disagrees with the article’s repeated calls for “civility.” Student protest has long been a critical piece of activism in this country and we must protect and respect it. The AHA rejects the article’s admonishment of a lack of “civil discourse.” Protests are a meaningful and effective form of discourse, and to demand civility is to misunderstand the purpose of the protest and prioritizes the comfort of those in power rather than lifting up the voices of those seeking justice and redress.
Conservative media, including the Daily Mail article, have presented a skewed version of these events that only furthers the fear-mongering myth that there is unjust liberal censorship happening at our colleges and universities.
We applaud the students who participated in the protest for calling attention to Alliance Defending Freedom’s ongoing assault on LGBTQIA+ rights, and we will continue to defend their right to do so.
The AHA will always stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ and traditionally marginalized communities to fight for equity and justice in the face of violence and systemic oppression.