Where are we as a country? Consider the case of a student union ban in Wyoming.

For a campus event in December, Laramie Faith Community Church Elder Todd Schmidt rented a table at the University Wyoming. He set up various books such as John MacArthur’s Strange Fire, David Horowitz’s Dark Agenda, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s The Real Anthony Fauci.

Additionally, Todd displayed a personalized sign — addressing someone who attends the university.

As I indicated in November, a UW student Artemis Langford made history:

According to school paper Branding Iron, Artemis Langford pledged to join Kappa Kappa Gamma (KKG) for Fall ’22. It was a bold move, given the student’s cervical shortage.

But the pursuit paid off — now Artemis is an officially-initiated sister:

As reaffirmed by Vice President of Student Affairs, Kim Chestnut, Artemis Langford is the first openly transgender student to be accepted into and to participate in sorority and fraternity life at UW as of September, 2022.

The trailblazer applauds KKG’s progressivism:

“I feel so glad to be in a place that I think not only shares my values, but to be in a sisterhood of awesome women that want to make history. They want to break the glass ceiling, trailblazing you know, and I certainly feel that as their first trans member, at least in the chapter in Wyoming history.”

Back to Todd Schmidt, The College Fix reports his sign addressed Artemis by name. It read thusly:

God Created Male and Female. Artemis Langford Is a Male.

Just days prior to that, two ugly incidents had occurred. As relayed by Cowboy State Daily (CSD), “the same group of five students ‘spoke disparagingly’ about LGBTQ students while standing near separate, planned LGBTQ events, according to university spokesman Chad Baldwin.”

That was Wednesday and Thursday. On Friday, Todd set up his table.

UW President Ed Seidel lamented the elder’s endeavor:

“We have determined that these actions violated the university policy prohibiting discrimination and harassment.”

Per CSD, Ed was upset:

Seidel wrote that he and other UW officials attended a “moving and heartfelt vigil” off-campus Monday, where members of the college’s Queer Community Coalition “expressed their concerns and fears for their safety, as well as their hopes for our UW community and future.”

“I emphasize that UW stands with each and every student and all identities who are dealing with safety concerns within our community,” Seidel wrote.

Hence, courtesy of CSD’s December 7th edition, Ed confirmed Todd had been punished:

“[T]he individual’s privileges to reserve a table in the Union have been suspended for one year.”

A school LGBT organization released a statement…

Wyoming Equality, a Wyoming LGBTQ advocacy organization, announced in a Monday statement that it is “firmly in favor” of the First Amendment right to free speech, but that it believes Schmidt’s gesture “falls outside of speech protected by the First Amendment, and that this kind of behavior is a violation of students’ basic rights.”

Cheyenne Pastor Rodger McDaniel — whose Highlands Presbyterian Church is pro-LGBT — had harsh words for Todd via Facebook:

“With people like [Todd] spreading the Gospel, it will die. He drove more young people away from the church that day than he could count.”

Conversely, twenty-five state legislators — nine of whom are members of the House Freedom Caucus — have signed a letter opposing the school’s decision. They assert Todd’s First Amendment rights have been violated.

Meanwhile, he’s still permitted to preach on campus. From the Casper Star-Tribune:

On Friday, he visited Simpson Plaza outside the Wyoming Union, one of the campus’ First Amendment zones, holding a Bible and talking to passing students.

And currently, the Union’s website offers the following:

Last week, several incidents occurred against the LGBTQ+ community in the Wyoming Union. These incidents left students, staff/faculty, and guests of the Wyoming Union scared, attacked, unsafe, and untrusting. … The safety and well-being of our students and colleagues is paramount. …

You are not alone. You are loved.

If anyone erects a table at a college with a specific student’s name on a sign, a disciplinary response shouldn’t be surprising. Beyond that, this is where we are; this is America, 2023: Amid big banners, punitive bans, lawmaker injection, emotional vigils, and statements of support…we’re getting into fights over whether someone is a man or a woman.

-ALEX

See more content from me:

Astrophysicist Warns Against ‘Exceptionalism’ — It’s White Supremacy

Harvard Trains Medical Students to Treat Transgender ‘Infants’

Professor Pooh-Poohs Professed Hetero Preference, Tells Pretenders to ‘Watch Gay and Lesbian Porn’

Find all my RedState work here.

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