Weber State University – Conference on Censorship Cancelled After University Sought to Censor Speakers

Summary

Weber State University cancelled its 27th annual Unity Conference, scheduled for October 2–3, 2025, under the theme “Redacted: Navigating the Complexities of Censorship.” The administration stated it could not “in good conscience deliver the high-quality, meaningful experience that our community expects and deserves.” The conference had been planned to include workshops, panel discussions, a screening of the documentary Banned Together, and community-dialogue programming focused on censorship, free expression, and related issues.

In the days before the event, presenters were informed by the university’s division of Student Access & Success that their content would need to comply with Utah’s 2024 law HB 261, which restricts public higher-education institutions from hosting programs outside academic departments that use diversity, equity, and inclusion language or characterize sociopolitical structures as power struggles between identity groups. Presenters were directed not to describe legislation or policies as “harmful” or to attribute them to partisan strategies. University officials indicated that presentations not meeting these requirements could not proceed.

Following the directives, several presenters withdrew from the conference, stating they could not participate under the restrictions. The administration confirmed that all planned sessions, panels, and screenings would be cancelled, and the official university announcement explained that the programming could not be delivered as intended under the law’s requirements.

After the cancellation, the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers, representing Weber State faculty and staff, organized an informal event titled “Unity Conference: Uncensored Version” on October 3. Some of the originally scheduled presenters participated, and the event included discussions and presentations on censorship and free expression.