A Catholic university in Minnesota banned YAF speaker Michael Knowles from speaking on campus this spring, according to emails obtained by Young America’s Foundation.
The College Republicans at the University of St. Thomas proposed bringing in Knowles this spring. The CRs were not only denied funding by the student government, but denied approval to hold the proposed event in its entirety.
An administrator claimed that Knowles’ views “do not align with our St. Thomas Conviction Statements on dignity and diversity,” also absurdly claiming that he has made “statements that are derogatory to the transgender and autistic community.” The administrator did not provide any proof to back up his claims.
The conservative group has started a petition urging the school to reverse its decision.
“In the University’s view, it is not simply a concern about what Mr. Knowles would say, rather, it is a concern that he holds Conservative-Catholic views in the first place. These restrictions on what speakers we can bring to campus represent not just a threat to free speech but freedom of thought,” the CRs wrote in a statement.
It is absurd that a conservative, Catholic commentator has been banned from speaking at an alleged Catholic campus. Knowles’ views on social issues like abortion, gender, and marriage are totally in line with Catholic doctrine. It seems that University of St. Thomas needs a wake-up call to realize that wokeism has infected their very own purported “religious” school.
To sign the petition urging the school to overturn their decision, click here.