Washington College – Robert P. George

The protesters came into Hynson Lounge, waving flags and signs symbolizing LGBT pride, about halfway through George’s lecture. They wouldn’t stand down until it was canceled.

But the controversy began even before George’s lecture, outside the lounge.

Protesters gathered on Cater Walk around 4 p.m., up the hill from the bronze bust of George Washington. The few who spoke stood at the top of the steps as campus security personnel looked on, watching the door.

The crowd chanted in response to George being asked to speak at the school.

Antoine Jordan, director of student engagement said, as a queer alum, he could not be more proud of those assembled.

“We have the power here to make our voices heard,” a protester spoke to the crowd. “Are you going to tell me that WAC (Washington College), can expel every single one of us? Absolutely (expletive) not!”

The lecture was scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Around that time, approximately 150 people had gathered to hear George speak. The renowned speaker has lectured at Yale, Harvard, and recently Oklahoma State, all without incident.

As George began his talk, he thanked Washington College President Mike Sosulski, who was in attendance, as well as the organizer of the event, Joseph Prud’hommme, who is the Burton Family associate professor in religion, politics and culture.

George’s message was about the principles for which all liberal arts institutions should stand.

“Liberal arts colleges like this one have three fundamental purposes,” George said. “The pursuit of truth. The preservation of that truth. And the transmission of that truth. And anything these institutions do to undermine these purposes, they shouldn’t allow.”

He gave school sports as an example, which he said he supports, but only if it didn’t undermine those principles.

But George was not there to talk about the lacrosse team. He said he saw a great danger affecting campuses.

“For many institutions in the country a much greater threat is posed by the politicization of the academy.”

He said illiberalism, meaning the unwillingness to listen to arguments that challenge opinions, is toxic to the learning environment on campuses.

George warned those in attendance about group think. All great minds do not think alike, he stated. Students need to be challenged to be able to hear from all perspectives so they can argue intelligently and arrive at truth, he told the crowd. He said intimidation is happening, which keeps people from learning truths in philosophy, politics, science, and literature.

He called it a scandal for students to leave institutions having no understanding, or protesting misunderstandings, of the “arguments advanced by serious people who hold beliefs that differ significantly from their own.”

George was starting to describe the implications of allowing that to spread on campus but was interrupted.

Following the initial disruption, Prud’homme beseeched the protestors to allow the speaker to express his view. He said once the speaker finished, there would be time to question his perspective and have a discussion engaging everybody.

“How did Hitler rise to power?”, a protester said in a loud voice, cutting off Prud’homme.

When nobody answered him back, he said, “Because he (Hitler) was given a platform.”

The speaker said, while he was not calling George that, his ideas were dangerous to the transgender community.

Protesters holding signs gathered against the back wall chimed in occasionally, but mainly it was the two masked individuals leading the protest. As faculty tried to attempt to continue the lecture. It proved futile. Fast-tempo music began blaring, whistles constantly blew, and there was even a little dancing in between the tables.

“My rights are not an opinion,” one of the protesters expressed. “You know how many death threats I get from being trans!”

One of the reasons for protesting, they said, is because George is a board member for the Heritage Foundation, a research and educational institution whose mission is to build and promote conservative public policies, based in Washington, D.C.

Another reason, according to one student, is because they claim George practices hate speech against LGBT people. His name is on GLAAD’s accountability profiles, one said. GLAAD is a non-profit organization focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change.

“He thinks being queer is beneath human dignity,” a protester added.

But if they were trying to garner sympathy, it had an opposite effect among some in the crowd. Many in attendance grew frustrated with the proceedings, some getting up to leave early.

One man said, “I’m trying to organize English as a second language for undocumented immigrants in this country. I want to get back to my work, if this is what we have to put up with. I’m not a right wing hate monger, even though I’m conservative.”

Another stood and said, “This is the tyranny of the minority. Six or eight people preventing people who came a long way from hearing a speaker, who has a very distinguished career.”

Prud’homme stood up, while dozens of conversations were still going on in the room, and petitioned again for the lecture to continue.

“We don’t want him to finish it! We don’t want him (expletive) talking!” a protester screamed.

That’s what eventually occurred.

Professor Joseph Prud’homme, organizer of the lecture, escorted George out with the promise the discussion could continue at a more productive time.

When asked who organized the protest, they said they self-organized, but also someone put up fliers. Another said they saw it on the social media site, YikYak.

When asked if they were pleased with the result, they said, “This is exactly what we intended.”

Campus security said they did not want to escalate the situation by asking protesters to leave. They were briefed beforehand on what could happen.

When speaking with George later, he said in all his years as a professor, visiting campuses like Berkeley, Yale, Harvard, and multiple other institutions, he has never had this happen before in his teaching.

“When intimidation works, they’ll continue to do it,” he said.

-Taken from Star Democrat article.