Thread by @glukianoff

Option 1: Click the link below & read about an administrator who gravely misunderstands the “heckler’s veto”

Option 2: Continue reading for a story about an autistic student banned from class for saying she’s not a “snowflake.” 0/7

https://twitter.com/glukianoff/status/1324396753467166728

.@Portland_State graduate student Lindy Treece said “I’m going to accept the results of the election no matter what because I’m not a snowflake” in a social work class. When she finished these words, she was muted, her camera shut off, AND THEN... 1/7
thefire.org/portland-state…

...the prof told her she could only return to class if she agreed not to use “derogatory” language.

Lindy replied that she could NOT & argued that what’s “derogatory'' is subjective & as an autistic person, she’s often unaware how people will be impacted before she speaks. 2/7

And BREAKING NEWS: Lindy found pro-bono counsel who sent a letter to PSU, & secured her return to class, without having to agree to broad prior restraint.

It’s still a good opportunity to mention some things I’ve learned about academic freedom & #freespeech on campus. 3/7

As @primalpoly noted in a 2017 article & @freespeechtalk, speech codes “impose impossible expectations on the social sensitivity, cultural awareness, verbal precision, & self-control of many neurodivergent people.” 4/7
quillette.com/2017/07/18/neu…

thefire.org/so-to-speak-po…

Especially at elite schools, speech codes half-knowingly enforce rules of politeness written by the upper class. The truth is, speech codes, even those passed in the name of diversity, don’t deal very well with many kinds of diversity, including cultural & neurodiversity. 5/7

While I personally dislike the term “snowflake,” it’s hardly on the fringes of protected speech, let alone using it when referring to oneself! If that’s considered beyond the pale by this professor, it’s hard to imagine what kind of speech is allowed. 6/7

Finally, please check out this unfortunately eternally relevant thread of resources for readers concerned about threats to free speech or facing “cancellation” themselves.
Please share our case submission page with any student who might be in need! 7/7

https://twitter.com/glukianoff/status/1276506223744102407