Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, has denied funding for a local campus conservatives group to bring The Daily Wire’s Elisha Krauss to the school as part of a Young Americans for Freedom lecture series.
According to YAF, the student government’s finance committee denied the conservative group’s funding request after discussing whether Krauss would bring a “message” that would align with the university’s value of “honoring the dignity and worth of every person.”
“The finance committee discussed the alignment of the speaker’s message with TU values (specifically ‘honoring the dignity and worth of every person’) and the potential impact on the campus community,” reads the rejection email, which was obtained by YAF.
While the finance committee doesn’t disclose the outcome of the discussion, the email has a clear implication: The students have reservations about whether Krauss would bring a “message” that rejects the inherent dignity of all persons.
In a statement to the Daily Wire, Krauss said that the rejection was a surprise, considering she had not even settled on a topic of discussion, let alone a specific message.
“Curious to know what writings, speeches, or even social media posts I have ever made that don’t adhere to honoring every human person and treating them with dignity and respect,” said Krauss, who then provided a reminder about just how much she values the dignity of every person. “In fact, I often speak on issues about the importance of individual liberties and human rights that begin in the womb.”
According to YAF, Julia Westwick, chairman of Trinity University Young Conservatives of Texas, the student government did not provide any other specifics as to why the speech was denied funding. However, Westwick believes the root concern is that the student government doesn’t like the opinions Krauss holds, and that they don’t support a culture of free speech.
“Trinity’s student government thinks the mainstream view of gender, held by Elisha Krauss and the majority of Americans, is dishonorable and not worthy of being given the same platform they repeatedly give to other student groups,” Westwick told the organization. “This is a clear case of viewpoint discrimination against those who believe in science: the fact that there are only two genders and that men and women have inherent and biological differences.”
“Trinity’s student government should not disadvantage any student group based on a speaker’s opinions,” said Westwick. “In doing so, they are not representing a significant portion of the student body, they are not supporting a culture of free speech, and they are discriminating against students with whom they disagree.”
In the rejection email, the student government’s finance committee reminded Westwick that the conservative group may still hold the event if it receives approval from the Event Review Committee. However, in order to receive funding for the event, the organization would need to appeal the denial to the student senate.
This is the second time in the last couple of weeks that Krauss has faced hostility from college campuses. Earlier this month, a billboard promoting an upcoming speech by Elisha Krauss at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater campus was mysteriously stolen.
Krauss responded to the incident in a statement to the Daily Wire.
“It’s continually amazing to me that even the presence of my photo and a promo for a speech about free speech is so triggering to leftists that they must destroy it,” said Krauss. “My seven-month-old and I frequently travel to college campuses to speak about the principles of conservatism, free speech, cancel culture, and the pro-life movement,” she said. “I don’t think we’re that scary.”
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