Texas State University fails to condemn men who stood on campus with signs reading ‘Women are Property’
After men came to Texas State University with signs reading “Women are Property” and “Homo sex is sin,” the university further contributed to the outrage with its initial statement, which contained not a single word of condemnation over the incident.
Just as many feared would happen, Donald Trump’s re-election as President of the United States on November 5 instantly further emboldened the misogynists, racists, and homophobes of the country. Within hours, MAGA men and boys coined a new sickening catchphrase, “Your body, my choice.” Women on social media have been flooded with the threatening phrase, while girls have reported boys running around high schools chanting the words. At the same time, Black Americans nationwide were sent racist, threatening text messages telling them to report to their “nearest plantation” to “pick cotton.”
Apparently, these hateful instances weren’t enough for a group of alleged “Christians” in Texas. Men who claimed to be part of a Christian group called the Official Street Preachers decided to go to Texas State University with signs equating women to “slaves” and “property” and calling members of the LGBTQ+ community sinners and “worthy of death.” They decided college students shouldn’t be permitted to simply go to class for the day without being told that they’re property, sinners, and deserve to die. The men’s signs went viral, as did videos and photos of predominantly female students challenging the men.
In response, the university initially released a shockingly tame statement.
Texas State University sparks outrage with dismissive statement
Following the disturbing incident at Texas State University, the university released a public statement and left many aghast that it refused to condemn the display of hatred. Instead, the statement was more concerned about protecting the men’s First Amendment rights. It read, “As a public institution, TXST supports the First Amendment and is required by state law to uphold freedom of speech in public areas on campus, even if such speech may understandably offend some members of our campus community.” The statement went on to claim that it had “protocols” to “allow individuals to safely engage in expressive activity on university property.”
Texas State University’s statement was quickly slammed online as individuals pointed out that the college could still condemn the hatred, even if its hands were legally tied due to the First Amendment.
Fortunately, Texas State University’s president, Kelly Damphousse, released a separate statement acknowledging the wrongness of what happened. It’s unclear who wrote the first statement, but Damphousse’s personal message almost seemed to condemn its flippant tone, writing that “any reasonable person” would be “disturbed” by what those men did on campus. He also acknowledged the impact on students, stating, ” I know how unsettling these experiences have been for me, so I am sure that it was disturbing for our students, their friends and family, our employees, and our alumni who were in the Quad at the time, or who saw the pictures and videos after the fact.”
While he acknowledged that the law prevented them from refusing to allow these men on campus or to prohibit their speech, he confirmed the university was exploring “legal responses.” Damphousse also stated plainly, “I condemn the hateful words these two men wrote and spoke while they were on our campus. That kind of hate is not welcome here.” His statement demonstrated how easy it is to state the truth about hateful displays, raising questions of why the university’s initial statement failed to do the same.
Although his statement was more candid, many still criticized the university for not protecting its students. According to the Irish Star, one student claimed she was called a “w***e” by the men while simply walking to class and, when she told a Texas State official, was told she could do nothing because it’s “free speech.” These men were holding derogatory, offensive signs and allegedly yelling slurs at women. It sounds far more likely their actions constituted harassment instead of free speech.
Not only is it deeply disturbing that men are becoming so emboldened as to voice their extremism and hatred in public, but also that authorities are responding by looking the other way, expressing reluctance to so much as suggest hatred is wrong, and dismissing potential harassment and threatening behavior as “free speech.”
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