Does anyone have any trouble believing this? It seems like standard operating procedure for most of higher education.
The College Fix reports:
Free speech lawsuit accuses University of California system of forcing students to use ‘preferred pronouns’A conservative legal watchdog group has filed a lawsuit against the University of California system for allegedly requiring the use of “preferred pronouns.”“’Preferred pronoun policies’ subject students to formal discipline for referring to other students according to the pronouns that are consistent with their biological sex rather than their gender identity,” states the lawsuit, filed by Defending Education.“Under these types of policies, a student who uses ‘he’ or ‘him’ when referring to a biological male who identifies as a female will be punished for ‘misgendering’ that student.”A statement provided to The College Fix from the University of California that said the system “is committed to fostering an environment that is welcoming to all while respecting freedom of speech and expression.”The 65-page civil rights complaint, filed June 18 in federal court, alleges University of California system policies violate the First Amendment by compelling speech and through viewpoint discrimination.Sarah Parshall Perry, Defending Education’s senior legal counsel, said in a statement to The College Fix that the system’s policies run afoul of the Constitution.“Universities may appropriately prohibit true harassment, such as targeted, severe, and pervasive conduct that interferes with a student’s education, consistent with Supreme Court standards,” Perry said, citing Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education as a legal precedent.“However, they cross the line when they weaponize vague harassment policies to regulate viewpoints on matters of public concern, such as biological sex and gender identity,” Perry said.The lawsuit flags UC’s Sexual Harassment, Anti-Discrimination, Prevention and Education training, noting it states that “[i]ntentionally calling someone their name used before transition, as opposed to their lived name, is called dead-naming, and may be a form of sexual harassment.”UC’s anti-discrimination policy prohibits harassment that creates a “hostile environment,” citing protected categories of “gender, gender identity, gender expression, gender transition, [and] sexual orientation.” Under this policy, harassment may occur when someone’s preferred pronoun is not used.
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