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August 17, 2006

Georgia Tech removes speech code protections for gays

Georgia Tech removes speech code protections for gays

Caving to conservatives' pressure, Georgia Tech University agreed earlier this week to remove parts of a speech code prohibiting students in on-campus housing from verbally injuring gay and lesbian classmates, among others. A U.S. district court judge ordered the school to abide by the decision, which it made after being sued, with the help of a Christian law firm, by two conservative students who claimed their right to free speech was being undermined by the code, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

"Tech students now won't have to enter a zone of censorship when they walk on campus," David French, a lawyer for the Alliance Defense Fund, which has aided similar lawsuits around the country, told the paper. "They now have the same rights as every Georgian."

The court order means the speech code is now under judicial supervision—if Georgia Tech wants to amend it in the next five years, it has to go back to court. The changes affect the on-campus housing speech code specifically and not the overall code of conduct governing students' behavior in general, Georgia Tech officials say, according to the Journal-Constitution.

Students Ruth Malhotra, a conservative Christian, and Orit Sklar, president of the Jewish student organization Hillel, filed suit earlier this year claiming the speech code compromised their ability to espouse their antigay and antifeminist views, among other unpopular opinions. They also complained that Georgia Tech, a public university, did not fund political or religious activities by students while allowing a gay group to operate on campus.

A similar lawsuit recently forced Penn State University to alter its own speech code. (The Advocate)

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