This YAF Student Was Harassed Online in a Viral Post For Being a Conservative

Evita Duffy, a YAF activist at the University of Chicago, didn’t think her participation in a social media project at her school would garner as nearly as much attention as it did. The project, posted on UChicago’s Institute of Politics Facebook page, was a collection of photos of students, giving a reason why they will be involved in public affairs. Evita wrote “I vote because the coronavirus won’t destroy America, but socialism will.” The post received backlash from her leftist peers, with hundreds flooding the comment section with insults and harassing comments. “When I publicly expressed that I feared socialism more than coronavirus in a campus get out the vote campaign, I was met with a firestorm of backlash from fellow students,” Duffy told YAF. “I received many deeply personal attacks, but I drew the line when I was threatened with physical violence. I made a decision not to respond to the hateful comments via social media. Instead I wrote an op-Ed sharing my story in the school paper. I hope that by sharing my experience it will inspire other people with minority opinions to be courageous and not allow themselves to be bullied into silence.” She soon wrote a piece in the school newspaper, detailing her experience. You can read it here.