The College Fix

Student government leaders ‘continuing to hold space for their communities for those who have faced harm from various guests on campus’

UC Berkeley’s College Republicans have fielded anonymous death threats and calls from student government officials to shut the group down for hosting conservative speaker Michael Knowles, who spoke on how transgenderism harms children.

Knowles is a political commentator for the Daily Wire, a conservative media company. Posters advertising the event used the title “Eradicate Transgenderism.” Knowles spoke on “the harms of transgender ideology and the impact it has on children,” according to the California College Republicans.

Following the Oct. 7 talk, members of the student government stated they would hold the Berkeley Republicans “accountable.”

Student government Senators Carlos González and Senator Ayden Reading announced they would propose “a resolution to prevent any student organization from reserving campus space or allowing speakers to come on campus if their activities promote hate speech or create an unsafe environment for any students.”

UC Berkeley Chancellor Richard Lyons posted a video a few weeks after the event saying he was “dismayed by recent posters calling for the elimination of transgender people” in a broader video calling for students’ to tone down their rhetoric.

Martin Bertao, chairman of the California College Republicans and president of the Berkeley Republicans, told The Fix that reaction was uncalled for.

“While the Left may not like it, what they call ‘hate speech’ is protected free speech,” Bertao told The Fix. “Disagreeing with an ideology and wanting to end it is not violence.”

In contrast, he said, some printed out fliers found around campus after the event stated: “SAVE A SICK PUPPY KILL DONALD TRUMP AND ALL CAMPUS REPUBLICANS.”

“Calling to ‘kill’ President Trump and campus Republicans leaves no room for any other interpretation besides intent to place a group in fear of death. That is not protected speech,” Bertao said.

Lanah Duque, chief communications officer of ASUC, told The College Fix that “Senators Reading and González have not proposed a resolution yet.”

Duque also said the student government cannot withhold funds from Registered Student Organizations “based on political ideology or content due to our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and use of student fees,” Duque told The Fix via email.

Duque said some safe spaces have been created by those hurt by the Berkeley Republicans’ event.

“Individual ASUC leaders and their respective offices are continuing to hold space for their communities for those who have faced harm from various guests on campus,” Durque said.

She noted registered student organizations have brought controversial speakers in the past so the Oct. 7 event was not an isolated incident.

The College Fix reached out to Senator Reading and Senator González for comment, but neither responded.

Bertao said his chapter was given the impression that the student government intended to “remove BCR as a club on campus and prohibit conservative speakers on campus.”

According to Berkeley Republicans, transgenderism and transgender individuals are distinctly different. Transgenderism refers to the “philosophy that sex is malleable — a philosophy that has increasingly advocated for puberty blockers and sex changes in children.” Knowles gave his speech about this ideology, not transgender individuals, the group stated in a news release.

“This difference was lost on Berkeley students and administrators, who viewed the flyers as wanting to eliminate transgender individuals.”

According to Bertao, there were a few protesters at the event but nothing substantive, adding: “There seemed to be no issues until the student government decided to try to ban us from using campus facilities to host future speakers.”

UC Berkeley spokesman Dan Mogulof said the university supports Knowles’ right to speak on campus.

“Michael Knowles crossed no lines. What he said was Constitutionally protected expression,” he said, adding “the school is not taking action against the Berkeley College Republicans.”

“The campus is most certainly responding to the threats. We have reached out to the BCR leadership and have asked to meet with them,” Mogulof told The College Fix.

Bertao said the Berkeley Republicans face a hostile campus and are asking members to be cautious and to protect themselves and those around them who are conservative.

“The Left can’t handle disagreements with their ideology, and they have no problem resorting to calls for actual death to intimidate and force compliance with their world view,” Bertao told The Fix. “The escalation is disturbing, but we will not back down or surrender.”

MORE: Nearly 100% of faculty strongly or somewhat agree academic freedom under threat: survey

IMAGE: California College Republicans

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