Politically correct totalitarians at Stanford denied the free speech and funds to a student group that believes in traditional marriage. Do you think this would have happened if the shoe was on the other foot?

Susan Kruth of The FIRE has the story.

Last week, the Stanford University Graduate Student Council (GSC) denied a request from a student group, the Stanford Anscombe Society (SAS), for $600 to bring speakers to a conference on marriage and family issues. Critics of the event—including GradQ, an LGBT group for Stanford graduate students—objected to SAS’s decision to invite several speakers who advocate against same-sex marriage. Campus newspaper The Stanford Daily reports that GradQ members said the speaker list was “inappropriately controversial.”

Unfortunately, statements made by the event’s student critics demonstrate a failure to appreciate that universities are meant to foster debate, which means that inevitably students will encounter ideas they disagree with, even those they consider “inappropriately controversial.”

The Stanford Daily relays concerns from students who were opposed to funding the event:

Bringing the speakers to Stanford would threaten the safety of campus for the queer population, according to Brianne Huntsman … “A lot of students who are queer come to Stanford because it’s one of the most LGBT-friendly places in the world,” Huntsman said. “I grew up in Utah, where it was really conservative and a lot of us come from similar backgrounds, and we feel that we every time we go home. Stanford is supposed to be a safe space for us.”

If credible (but hitherto unreported) evidence of a threat of violence at the event surfaced, a concern about safety might be a legitimate reason for keeping the speakers off campus. What is unacceptable, however, is citing “safety” as a pretext for silencing others based solely on their viewpoints. Speaking with The Stanford Daily, one GSC member defended the council:

“This issue walks a very fine line between the freedom of speech and the discrimination of a minority, but no one has anything but the right intentions in mind,” [Eduardo] González-Maldonado said of the GSC members’ votes.