Todd Schmidt, an elder from the Laramie Faith Community Church, was recently barred from manning a table inside the student union by the University of Wyoming. This decision has sparked issues regarding free expression, as the university reportedly limited Schmidt’s ability to reserve a table in the student union when he displayed a sign identifying a biologically male student who is presently a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.
According to the Cowboy State Daily, Schmidt’s sign read “God created male and female and [student’s name] is a male”, and the university considered this discrimination and harassment. While Schmidt complied with the university’s request to remove the student’s name from the sign, he was still issued the one year ban. This decision has been met with criticism from those who believe that this ban violates Schmidt’s freedom of speech.
While universities have the power to limit speech within buildings, once that area becomes a public forum, policies must be implemented neutrally regardless of perspective, according to Eugene Volokh, a renowned professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles. This means that the University of Wyoming should have enforced the same policy to all speech, whether it was in line with their own or not.
“The university could try to set up some viewpoint-neutral rule that applied to speech regardless of its stance on transgender issues or any other issues, but from what I understand it sounds like this speech was targeted in large part because of its message, because of its ideological position,” Volokh said. “And that is unconstitutional in this type of limited public forum.”
The decision by the University of Wyoming to prohibit Todd Schmidt from manning a booth in the student union raises fundamental questions regarding free expression. This ruling not only prevents Schmidt from practicing his religious convictions, but it also establishes a dangerous precedent for colleges to discriminate against speech that differs from their own. To truly guarantee free speech, universities must ensure that all speech, regardless of perspective, is treated equally.
The University of Wyoming’s decision to prohibit Todd Schmidt from running a table in the student union violates the Elder’s freedom of speech. This ruling not only limits his right to practice his religious views, but it also establishes a dangerous precedent for others.