As groups like Antifa tried to use violence to shut down Trump rallies and other events, folks on the right advocated even more fiercely for the ability to express their opinions and ideas. Later, Big Tech censorship became another hot topic in this regard. Indeed, efforts to silence viewpoints that do not align with progressive thought on social media have become a major sticking point.

The culture war has figured prominently in this debate, and now there are troubling indications that those who claim to value the spirit of the First Amendment have become willing to dabble in their own form of censorship. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is involved in a case challenging State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota whose administrators “are reportedly embracing censorship” by removing an exhibition from the Bradenton campus that featured left-leaning viewpoints.

The exhibition, which was created by arts and education organization Embracing Our Differences (EOD), included pieces displaying the words “diversity,” “inclusion,” “justice,” “equality,” and “reproductive right.”

The three pieces are titled “Good Trouble,” “Being Different Gives the World Color,” and “Body & Voice.”

From FIRE:

“Good Trouble” depicts a Black child wearing a shirt embossed with the words “justice” and “equality” and with a Ukrainian flag patched onto the sleeve. The child is surrounded by racial justice imagery, including a newspaper article about the Little Rock Nine, the letters “BLM,” a sign demanding an end to police brutality, and an image of activist John Lewis. Also surrounding the child is a pride flag and the phrase “The American Dream” written in Spanish.

“Being Different Gives The World Color” depicts seven different masks used for cultural celebrations, performances, and theatrical plays. The issue with this piece was the attached quote giving an individual perspective on diversity and inclusion, “Diversity and inclusion are like the needle and thread that stitch together the harmonious fabric of peace for humankind.”

“Body & Voice” portrays a group of distraught-looking pregnant women asking a group of men “Do We Not Have A Voice About Our Own Body?” The artist’s statement notes that the piece aims to bring attention to reproductive rights.

“FIRE and the National Coalition Against Censorship wrote SCF Bradenton a joint letter on Feb. 23 explaining that in order to serve and educate its students, it must ‘be able to stand up to political pressure rather than shield students from expression about controversial topics,’” according to the report.

SCF Bradenton Associate Vice President of Communications Jamie Smith explained that they removed the pieces because they “may have been found offensive and not embraced.”

The official referred also to safety and security concerns due to the vandalism of an EOD structure at another venue. He claimed SCF Bradenton “took into consideration the values of the college[.]”

In the letter, FIRE and NCAC reminded the university that it is a public entity that is subject to the protections of the First Amendment and that it “may not censor campus expression — including art — simply because some dislike the artistic message.”

The organizations referred to a Supreme Court decision in Cohen v. California that if an individual finds an exhibit offensive, they can “avert their eyes” and that their feelings of discomfort should not prevent others from viewing the piece.

FIRE is far from a left-leaning organization. Indeed, the organization was instrumental in the effort to persuade a federal judge to block an effort on the part of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to pass a measure that would require social media companies to police speech on their platforms. They succeeded in this endeavor.

But the report brings up an important truth: Conservatives cannot afford to become that which they claim to hate. I am far from a pro-abortion, race-obsessed proponent of DEI. I fight against this ideology every single day – and will continue to do so. However, I will also fight for people’s right to express their opinions through any form of media they wish. I may detest their ideas, but they have a right to speak. No public institution should be allowed to suppress speech – especially based on political motives.

If Florida engages in this type of censorship because Republicans are in charge, what do you think will happen when the pendulum eventually swings the other way? If we are going to fight against the type of authoritarianism that threatens our natural rights, it makes no sense to use that same authoritarianism against those with whom we disagree. The best way to combat bad speech is with good speech, not with using the state to squash opinions that do not suit our fancy.