Truman State University in Missouri told a conservative student organization that their speaker must wear a mask while speaking, despite evidence of other events where speakers and performers were unmasked, according to a tip received through Young America’s Foundation’s Campus Bias Tip Line.
On November 12, a fall drag show was held on campus, featuring multiple unmasked drag queens. Just days before, the TSU history department hosted Professor Woody Holton to discuss his new book. In December, the TSU economics department hosted the Words and Numbers Podcast. The speakers were all maskless.
The maskless nature of these events was not hidden. Truman Media Network published a glowing feature on the drag show on December 2, titled “Drag Queens rule the stage.”
While making plans to bring a YAF speaker to campus, Elias Burrough, a member of the TSU College Republicans, inquired about the school’s mask policy for events, to which he was told: “…any guest speaker would have to wear a mask.”
TSU did not enforce these restrictions on other events, however.
This summer, the TSU CR’s began planning a fall speaker. They considered bringing Matt Walsh to campus, among other sought-after YAF speakers, but due to the school’s unnecessary and selectively enforced masking policy, they could not.
Burrough told YAF that the school has a double-standard that makes conservative events “harder to schedule and hold.”
He says this makes “conservative students feel marginalized and silenced” and goes against the school’s stated values.
TSU did not respond to YAF’s request for comment.
COVID-19 protocols are now being weaponized against conservative students and organizations. It’s obvious that the school is not serious about its masking policy, however, for conservative speakers, they are. They aren’t even trying to hide their complete disregard for other events featuring unmasked speakers and performers. These universities will do whatever they can to stop the spread, not of COVID-19, but of conservative ideas.
