This is Charlie Kirk’s legacy. Anything that promotes free speech on campus is an honor to his memory.
The Kansas Reflector reports:
Kansas House bill honoring Charlie Kirk seeks to liberate campus voices, but it’s complicatedA bill introduced in the Kansas House this week, one that its Republican sponsor hopes will embolden free speech in honor of Charlie Kirk, might indeed prevent censorship and nudge student voices, as he intends.However, it might also frustrate many Kansans (including fellow Republicans) who won’t enjoy the unfettered expression — from students and faculty, on campus and online — that this bill protects. We can nitpick other likely consequences of the bill after we cover the basics.Rep. Brett Fairchild, R-St. John, introduced a bill Tuesday that would, generally speaking, enlarge the free speech rights of people on Kansas university and postsecondary education campuses. The bill’s acronym? The FORUM Act, for “forming open and robust university minds.”In the other chamber, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, announced this week that additional legislation “is being drafted to safeguard free speech for students across Kansas education, from K-12 to public colleges.”Fairchild and Masterson paid homage to Kirk, a slain conservative activist and free speech advocate who was shot and killed in September while speaking at a Utah college campus.“Charlie Kirk was martyred for bringing truth and wisdom to college campuses, where the free exchange of ideas must remain central to their mission. He built a legacy of respectful yet passionate discourse and warned of the dangers when we stop talking to one another,” a statement from Masterson said, calling the bill a “top priority.”Fairchild called Kirk “a great champion of free speech on college campuses.”While Kirk’s views on many issues struck me as wrongheaded and offensive, his advocacy for free speech was different. The open debates he created, particularly for college students, pivoted campus norms about free speech.
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