Identity of Speakers
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Michael Knowles
Unaffiliated
Invited for non-academic lecturePolitical commentator
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
University-sponsored lecture/address/panel
Other student-organized event
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Incident Political Orientation:
Right wing -
Incident Responses:
Student sanctioned
Staff Sanctioned
Rally or Protests
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
A University of St. Thomas group, the College Republicans, sought to have political commentator Michael Knowles to campus. Michael Knowles is a conservative aligned political commentator, author, and media host. Additionally, he has written for The Daily Wire, an American conservative news website and media company.
Following this request an official complaint to the Higher Learning Commission, was filed. It was claimed that the institution was violating their commitment to academic freedom and freedom of expression “in the pursuit of truth in teaching and learning.”
After the complaint, the University denied the request to have Michael Knowles speech due to his comments regarding transgender ideology. Following the denial, Knowles himself spoke out against this decision, alongside a conservative group that started a petition urging the school to reverse its decision. Their petition claimed that this restriction represented a threat to free speech and freedom of thought.
