The president of the University of Central Arkansas ordered a sign quoting Lady Gaga be removed from the school’s library, claiming it advocated “a personal viewpoint” that could potentially corrupt the minds of young children.
Earlier this month, staff members of the university’s Torreyson Library made a Pride sign that said: “Being gay is like glitter. It never goes away. — Lady Gaga.”
They displayed it on a bulletin board typically used for making special event announcements and activities or to display information such as the library’s hours.
Fun, right?
How about we take this to the next level?
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Wrong!
When University President Houston Davis got wind of it, he demanded it be immediately removed.
In an email to faculty, staff members, and students this week, Davis wrote: “I believe that the intent of the message was to show support for LGBTQ students, faculty, and staff, but it was not okay for the university sign to be used to make a personal statement or advocate for a personal viewpoint. That is the line that the sign itself crossed.”
Davis went on to say that library staff must be “very careful that we walk the fine line between individual freedom of speech and institutional voice.”
Then he brought up a summer band camp currently happening on campus which is attended by impressionable secondary school students from the area.
“We have to be very mindful of the hundreds of minors that are on campus during the summer which further complicates an environment that is normally programmed for adults and our very meaningful conversations about ourselves and our world,” Davis wrote.
“One outgrowth of that perspective on minors has been a start of a good conversation about best practices how to present or represent issues when minors are on the campus.”
Because, evidently, being gay is an “issue,” and God forbid children learn gay people exist in the world!
But University spokesman Amanda Hoelzeman insists Davis’ motivations for having the sign removed had nothing to do with shielding minors from the “issue” of LGBTQ people.
“The issue is not about minors being exposed to the LGBTQ community,” she told Arkansas Online this week. “It is about the university remembering that when we do have minors on campus, we have to be mindful of information and debate that is designed for students, faculty and staff who are 18 and above.”
She continued, “This issue points to the fact that we need to be more aware of how any university signage or platform is used in order to uphold freedom of speech as well as be aware of our institutional voice.”
If that’s the case, why bring minors up at all?
Oh, and can we stop calling being LGBTQ an “issue”? The only “issue” here are the people who seem to take issue with it.
Related: Dean resigns after college refuses to allow Chick-Fil-A on campus, says “I felt it very personally”
Chrisk
Minors? I’m confused. Is this a preschool or a University?
Cam
Translation, he’s a bigot.
Jared MacBride
Wonder how the university keeps minors away from the pernicious influence of catholic priests.
Cam
Aaaaaaannnnnndddd Boom!
taylor94
So the personal viewpoint of the University President matters, but the viewpoints of anyone else are not permitted. Nice.
mcflyer54
University of Central Arkansas …. an institution of learning? As soon as I saw it was Arkansas I knew exactly where it was headed.
darklight413
It’s just one step away from them claiming their “religious freedom” is being threatened. Bigots and haters always claim THEY are the ones being persecuted, being forced to pretend to tolerate us horrible gays. Assholes.
Mack
It’s Arkansas, home of the Huckelberries, does it surprise you?
paul dorian lord fredine
arkansas. nuf said.
david-tullis
Arkansas is no better – and no worse – than any other state.
Hdtex
Yes it is. It’s a shithole country of a state.
Cam
Really? Compare Arkansas’s economy to say….California, or Washington, or Massachusetts, or Maryland, or Illinois, or……….
mojo
I did compare. It’s at the bottom of your list. So, still a shithole, Cam.
CarrieV
I’m more against that Gaga quote because if you get glitter on you, you try like hell to scrub it off. Not a very appealing notion to LGBTQ folk who don’t want to scrub away the gay.
JoshGL
“Then he brought up a summer band camp currently happening on campus which is attended by impressionable secondary school students from the area.”
Girlfriend has never been to band camp.
Kangol2
Wait, I thought that universities were supposed to be promoting “free speech”? Isn’t quoting Lady Gaga’s innocuous comment “free speech”? So he’s saying he does not believe in “free speech”? Did he miss Drumpf’s recent executive order?
Also, universities are supposed to be sites of academic freedom, which posting this quote would qualify under. So he doesn’t believe in academic freedom?
Third, the University of Central Arkansas is a state-funded university, so the actions of its faculty, staff are especially Constitutionally protected. Does the president of a public university not understand what public means?
Fourth, nothing in the Lady Gaga quote was harmful to minors. Only a homophobe would construe her words as such.
jckfmsincty
Parents: Don’t waste your money by sending your kids to backward, southern universities.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Am guessing he is not fully aware of what actually does occur at band camp……