California judge grants college students 'big win' in free speech lawsuit against school for censoring anti-communist flyers, lawyer says



On October 14, a California judge ordered a preliminary injunction preventing a community college from censoring student flyers on campus after a group of students filed a lawsuit against school officials over alleged discrimination, the College Fix reported.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression filed a lawsuit against Clovis Community College in Fresno, California, in August on behalf of three students involved with the school's Young Americans for Freedom chapter.

The lawsuit alleged that the students were discriminated against when Clovis president Dr. Lori Bennett ordered the removal of anti-communist flyers they had posted around campus in November.

According to Fox News Digital, one of the flyers included imagery of skulls and bones and read, "Leftist Ideas: 'Progress' that always leads to death." Additionally, the flyer included data on the number of people killed in countries that have fallen under "progressive social movements."

The students initially received permission from school officials to post the flyers on bulletin boards in campus buildings, but the flyers were removed after school officials allegedly received complaints from other students.

The lawsuit stated, "Administrators of public colleges cannot ban a student group's flyers because some found the message inappropriate or offensive."

Last month, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston ordered a preliminary injunction that stated school officials could not prevent students from posting flyers because of potential "inappropriate or [offensive] language or themes" while the legal battle continues.

"The preliminary injunction order is good news for the Plaintiffs (our clients), because it means that while the case is pending, Clovis can't enforce its ban on inappropriate or offensive language against student flyers," Jeff Zeman, a FIRE attorney, told the College Fix.

"This is a big win for the plaintiffs. … We've also asked that, at the end of the case, the court grant a permanent injunction," Zeman added.

The plaintiff and Young Americans for Freedom chapter President Juliette Colunga told the news outlet, "The judge's ruling on the preliminary injunction is absolutely a great step in the right direction for us, but the fight is not over at all. We will continue to stand up and fight for our free speech."

Clovis Community College did not reply to a request for comment from Fox News Digital or the College Fix.

\u201cBig chapter update! #freespeech\u201d
— Young Americans for Freedom @ Clovis Community (@Young Americans for Freedom @ Clovis Community) 1666113299

PayPal shuts down accounts belonging to groups that opposed drag queen story hour with kids



PayPal this week shut down multiple accounts associated with groups critical of the transgender movement, including the U.K.-based Free Speech Union and the nonprofit Gays Against Groomers.

"We have just been BANNED from @Venmo and @PayPal (within minutes of each other) for 'violating' their user agreements," Gays Against Groomers announced on Twitter Tuesday, sharing screenshots of emails from the payment processing companies. "We are an organization that consists entirely of gay people whose only mission is to safeguard children from abuse. Woke homophobia is real, folks."

\u201cBREAKING: We have just been BANNED from @Venmo and @PayPal (within minutes of each other) for \u201cviolating\u201d their user agreements. \n\nWe are an organization that consists entirely of gay people whose only mission is to safeguard children from abuse. \n\nWoke homophobia is real, folks.\u201d
— Gays Against Gr\u2588\u2588mers (@Gays Against Gr\u2588\u2588mers) 1663656430

"And more importantly than the woke homophobia is the fact that more and more companies are coming out in full support of the sexualization, indoctrination, and medicalization of minors," Gays Against Groomers added. "They will soon regret this unprecedented decision. Stay tuned."

The emails from Venmo and PayPal accuse Gays Against Groomers of violating each company's respective user agreement. The group, which represents "a coalition of gay people who oppose the recent trend of indoctrinating, sexualizing and medicalizing children," was permanently banned on both platforms. PayPal owns Venmo.

On the same day, the Telegraph reported that PayPal shut down the accounts of Free Speech Union, its founder Toby Young, and his opinion and news website the Daily Sceptic last week without a clear explanation. Free Speech Union is a nonpartisan organization that opposes cancel culture and has defended academics who have criticized transgenderism and people who have been fired for expressing their opinions.

Young told the Telegraph that PayPal claimed the accounts violated its "Acceptable Use Policy" and said the banning was a "sinister form of cancel culture."

\u201cThe FSU has been demonetised by @PayPal for daring to stand up for #freespeech.\n\nThank you to all who stand in solidarity with us \u2013 existing members, supporters, and the many new members joining us today. \n\nHere's a thread about who we are and what we do.\u201d
— The Free Speech Union (@The Free Speech Union) 1663771386

A PayPal spokesman would not comment on individual customers, but told the paper PayPal "regularly assesses activity against our long-standing Acceptable Use Policy and will discontinue our relationship with account holders who are found to violate our policies."

“Achieving the balance between protecting the ideals of tolerance, diversity and respect for people of all backgrounds and upholding the values of free expression and open dialogue can be difficult, but we do our best to achieve it,” the spokesperson said, according to the Telegraph.

Further comments from PayPal given to the Advocate suggest the bans are related to both Free Speech Union and Gays Against Groomers' public opposition to "radical gender theory" and drag queen story hours in schools.

\u201cWe just learned through a hit piece written about us by @TheAdvocateMag that @PayPal banned our accounts intentionally. \n\nThey said that don\u2019t allow the promotion of discrimination but literally discriminated against us for being (the wrong kind of) gay?? Make it make sense.\u201d
— Gays Against Gr\u2588\u2588mers (@Gays Against Gr\u2588\u2588mers) 1663700440

"PayPal's policy is not to allow our services to be used for activities that promote hate, violence, or discriminatory intolerance," the spokesperson wrote. "We base our reviews of accounts on these parameters, taking action when we deem that individuals or organizations have violated this policy."

Hours after being banned by PayPal, Gays Against Groomers shared that the group's gmail account had also been disabled.

\u201cBREAKING: After being banned by @PayPal and @Venmo less than 24 hours ago, We have JUST been banned by @Google! \n\nBig tech is coordinating a massive attack on our organization for trying to protect children. THIS IS INSANE.\u201d
— Gays Against Gr\u2588\u2588mers (@Gays Against Gr\u2588\u2588mers) 1663732091

"Big tech is coordinating a massive attack on our organization for trying to protect children. THIS IS INSANE."

Susan Collins calls cops after pro-abortion rights message left outside her house



Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) contacted police over the weekend after someone left a pro-abortion-rights message on the sidewalk in front of her home in Bangor, Maine, on Saturday night.

The message, written in chalk, said, "Susie, please, Mainers want WHPA --> vote yes, clean up your mess," the Bangor Daily News reported.

WHPA refers to the Women's Health Protection Act, a bill introduced in Congress that would codify the right to abortion into federal law and ban state restrictions on abortion. The legislation has passed in the U.S. House, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has promised to soon bring it to the floor of the Senate.

Bangor police responded to a call to Collins' home in the West Broadway neighborhood of Bangor at 9:20 p.m. Saturday to investigate the chalk message, Bangor police spokesperson Wade Betters said.

"The message was not overtly threatening,” he said.

By Monday afternoon the message was gone, BDN reported.

Demonstrators outside Susan Collins's house wrote a polite message in chalk so naturally someone called the cops. #FreeSpeech\n\nhttps://bangordailynews.com/2022/05/09/news/bangor/pro-abortion-chalk-message-appears-on-susan-collins-bangor-sidewalk/\u00a0\u2026pic.twitter.com/BGIzvsACeL
— Aaron Huertas (@Aaron Huertas) 1652188221

Collins thanked the police department for its quick response in a statement.

“We are grateful to the Bangor police officers and the City public works employee who responded to the defacement of public property in front of our home,” Collins said.

Furious pro-abortion rights protesters have targeted Republican-appointed Supreme Court justices, GOP lawmakers, and even Christian church services after a leaked Supreme Court draft majority opinion last week indicated the court has voted to overturn the landmark abortion rights decision Roe v. Wade. While the court's decision is neither official nor final, were it to overrule Roe, there are 26 states with trigger laws that immediately put bans or severe restrictions on abortion into effect.

Democrats have called for Congress to codify Roe's abortion rights to prevent those trigger laws from taking effect.

Collins, a moderate Republican, is one of only two pro-choice Republican senators, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski. She has previously voted against the WHPA, claiming the Democratic-backed bill to codify Roe goes too far and does not have adequate exemptions for Catholic hospitals that refuse to perform abortions for faith-based reasons.

Together with Murkowski, Collins has introduced an amendment to the WHPA that would prohibit states from imposing an "undue burden" on the ability of a woman to seek an abortion before her unborn child is viable outside the womb. The Collins-Murkowski amendment would also permit states to enact health or safety regulations on abortion procedures, so long as those regulations do not present a "substantial obstacle" to a woman seeking an abortion.

Collins has consistently said she would not vote to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to break a filibuster in order to pass legislation that would codify abortion rights.

Critics pounce after Public Citizen suggests that Elon Musk is a free speech hypocrite because he blocked the organization on Twitter



Public Citizen has suggested that Elon Musk is not truly dedicated to the principle of free speech because he blocked the organization's account on Twitter.

"FYI: We’re blocked by Elon Musk. So much for being 'committed' to free speech," the advocacy group tweeted.

A screenshot included in the tweet shows a message from Twitter that says, "You are blocked from following @elonmusk and viewing @elonmusk's Tweets."

Many people on the social media platform pushed back against the suggestion that Musk's choice to block the account represented a violation of the principles of free speech.

"No. This is what free speech looks like. @ElonMusk doesn't have to listen to you. Free speech doesn't mean everyone has to listen to everyone else. It means that people are allowed to speak, and those who want to hear can show up, if they want," Justin Haskins remarked in response to Public Citizen's post. Glenn Beck and Haskins coauthored the book, "The Great Reset: Joe Biden and the Rise of 21st Century Fascism."

No. This is what free speech looks like. @ElonMusk doesn't have to listen to you. Free speech doesn't mean everyone has to listen to everyone else. It means that people are allowed to speak, and those who want to hear can show up, if they want.
— Justin T. Haskins (@Justin T. Haskins) 1651053672

"His choice to not listen to you has no effect on your ability to speak freely and be heard by others," Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon tweeted.

"Free speech isn't forcing someone to listen to you, it's the freedom to say what you want in the public square. Weird that this has to be pointed out to grown people," Brandon Morse of RedState tweeted.

"Is everyone stupid? #FreeSpeech means you get to be on the platform. It does not mean everyone is forced to listen to you," radio host Mark Davis tweeted.

Musk, a wealthy business tycoon who recently struck a deal to purchase Twitter, has said that he plans to make the platform a place where people can engage in free speech.

"I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means," Musk tweeted on Monday.

According to the Public Citizen website the outfit "is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people – not for big corporations," the group's website declares.