University of Albany (UAlbany) students will list off a slew of demands including free abortion pills and hormone replacement therapy during a Student Association Senate meeting on Wednesday, according to a script published online advising attendees on what to say.
Queer Joy, a coalition of several student groups, drafted the demands after a mob of protesters prevented Ian Haworth, a conservative commentator, from beginning his on-campus talk about freedom of speech. The coalition asks that the senate and university administration consider demands which include requiring student organizations to undergo “training that explicitly prohibits transphobia,” requiring student organizations to uphold Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and including “transphobia” in definition of hate speech, according to the script. (RELATED: Cornell University Rejects Student Demands To Insert ‘Trigger Warnings’ Before Class Discussions)
“I urge the SA Senate and UAlbany administration to join me in supporting our queer siblings by heeding the following demands and breaking their silence to denounce transphobia in the wake of April 4th’s peaceful protests of known transphobe Ian Haworth’s presence on campus,” the script reads. “Haworth’s transphobic rhetoric has fueled the national climate of transphobia, which poses a clear and present threat to trans people across the nation and at UAlbany. To allow him to promote his hateful rhetoric on campus is to be complicit in his attacks on trans people.”
The coalition consists of The University of Albany College Democrats, Pride Alliance, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and University of Albany Young Democratic Socialists of America, according to its Instagram. Other demands include divesting from university police in favor of social workers, support for a Student Association Senate Resolution titled “Freedom To Speak Up Against Transphobia,” restorative justice plans, gender affirming resources and more STI/STD testing on campus.
“These absurd demands are a fantastic metaphor for the radical transgender movement,” Haworth told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “They ignore our valid arguments surrounding the indoctrination and abuse of children, and rather than engaging in debate, they just throw a tantrum. After using the heckler’s veto to shut down an event on free speech, they are now painting themselves as the victims simply because they’re embarrassed by what they see in the mirror we are holding up.”
The coalition also demands that charges be dropped against two protesters who were arrested at the April 4 event, and that attendees who participated in the protest are not published, according to the script.
“Trans students’ rights are human rights and impact all students. I fully support the trans and queer community at UAlbany and stand with the students who protested Ian Haworth’s presence on UAlbany’s campus last Tuesday,” the script concludes. “I urge the Student Association Senate and UAlbany administration to do the same.”
Haworth was invited to speak on campus by the school’s Turning Point USA chapter. Protesters were filmed shouting a variety of chants including “this is what queer rage looks like” and “no cops, no KKK, no TPUSA,” eating pizza put out for event attendees, forming a conga line and dancing to Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA.”
Protesters also crumbled up a Bible that belonged to TPUSA Northeast Field Representative Sarah Krutov, according to a photo shared on Twitter.
Things started to get REAL weird when a conga line formed.
Not one person seemed concerned that this is a traditional Cuban carnival dance, and is therefore an act of cultural appropriation.@TPUSA pic.twitter.com/REzH9clyq9
— Ian Haworth (@ighaworth) April 5, 2023
The event was eventually moved to another location which allowed for better “controlled access” after the protesters prevented the speech from beginning, a university spokesperson previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
“Their demands — which happen to be their solution to literally everything — are nothing but a joke provided by spoiled, petulant children who don’t believe there should be consequences for their assault on the First Amendment,” Haworth told the DCNF. “I hope SUNY Albany remains firm in their promise to protect free speech for all students, and teach these radical non-peaceful protesters a lesson.”
UAlbany, The University of Albany College Democrats, Pride Alliance, Students for Sensible Drug Policy and University of Albany Young Democratic Socialists of America did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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