SFSU President Doubles Down, With an Even More Outrageous Statement on Riley Gaines Assault

I wrote about the response All-American swimmer Riley Gaines had to the incredible statement from San Francisco State University Vice President Jamillah Moore about Gaines being assaulted and held in a room for three hours by screaming radical trans activist students who discussed making her pay them to let her go.

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In the statement, Moore seemed to completely ignore the horrible incident while she praised the actions of the “peaceful” students.

Gaines tweeted at Moore, trying to explain to Moore what had happened.

Moore — showing how concerned she was about the safety of speakers on her campus — blocked Gaines. Gaines said that while they are trying to ignore her, they will not be able to ignore her lawsuit.

Moore’s response was bad, particularly in the face of a possible lawsuit.

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But in an example of just how bad universities are getting, the San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney decided that she was going to double down on the dumb. If you thought Moore’s statement was bad, Mahoney’s is an exercise in straight-up delusion, starting with the depiction of Gaines and the TP USA event.

Last Thursday, Turning Point USA hosted an event on campus that advocated for the exclusion of trans people in athletics. The event was deeply traumatic for many in our trans and LGBTQ+ communities, and the speaker’s message outraged many members of the SF State community who value inclusion and social justice.”

Advocating for fairness for women in sports is not advocating for the “exclusion of trans people.” But if this is any indication, SFSU doesn’t seem to care about fairness for women in sports. Notice who the victims are here, as Mahoney makes clear. It’s the trans people, not Gaines, who are the victims.

This next part takes a lot of gall.

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I applaud the students, staff and faculty who rallied quickly to host alternative inclusive events, protest peacefully and provide one another with support at a difficult moment. Unlike previous events on this campus and other campuses, I am proud to say that the First Amendment was honored. The speaker expressed her views and engaged in dialogue with those present. In fact, a Turning Point USA representative noted in a media interview that the discussion was “constructive and polite.” Unfortunately, a disturbance after the event concluded delayed the speaker’s departure. We are reviewing the incident and, as always, will learn from the experience.

The First Amendment was honored? A speaker was assaulted and chased down a hallway on your campus by a screaming mob of students and trapped in a room for hours, with the students discussing if they should demand money to let her go. That’s not honoring the First Amendment.

How did the president describe the horrible scary incident? “A disturbance” that “delayed the speaker’s departure.” As though Gaines just missed her cab to the airport. Not even acknowledging what occurred, or how the University’s failure to deal effectively with the situation endangered the speaker on their campus. But hey, no big deal, no one will be punished or held accountable for any of it, but the university will “learn.” Why would any speaker go to their school again? Why would any student ever contemplate going to their school, if this is how they treat people and this is how they think?

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The president also wanted you to know that the “best” part that she “saved for last” was, however, since they are now being looked at for their accreditation review.

I saved the best for last. We were commended for “demonstrating the institution’s orientation to social justice and its history of activism.” Last week, we saw this demonstration in our commitment to creating a community free of discrimination, our commitment to protesting ideologies of exclusion and in our commitment to free speech. Some of it we did well and some needs improvement.

They were “commended”? Was this before or after what happened? We must live in an alternate reality if what happened at SFSU represents a “commitment to free speech.” You think “some needs improvement?” You could say that again.

But in the meantime, the school faced some rolling protests over what happened to Gaines. The group “Women Are Real” posted about driving around San Francisco for three days, and in particular around SFSU with a rolling billboard truck, saying they stand with Gaines and that “Women should not have to ask for fair and equal treatment.”

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I’m thinking the lawsuit Gaines is talking about is going to help bring them back to some more reality.

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

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