The College Fix

School official asked if student ‘could see how people may perceive that message negatively’

A student at the University of Virginia was recently informed that someone had reported him to the school’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights. His alleged offense? Wearing a hat which reads “Make America Christian Again.”

UVA has an anonymous reporting system dubbed “Just Report It” where students can submit “complaints of bias, discrimination and harassment.”

According to Bacon’s Rebellion, Simon Goldstein — of mixed Jewish and Christian heritage — saw the hat advertised on X (Twitter) and thought it was “a play on ‘Make America Great Again.’” So he bought it.

But UVA’s Nicole Thompson, “compliance director” of the aforementioned civil rights office, emailed Goldstein about his wearing the hat around campus, letting him know she wanted to have an “informal conversation […] to discuss the concerns that were reported” and to give him “an opportunity to share [his] perspective or any information and ask questions.”

Thompson (pictured) asked Goldstein why he chose to wear the hat … and “if [he] could see how people may perceive that message negatively.”

Goldstein replied in the affirmative (he noted only one student had had a negative reaction to the hat of which he was aware), but said he doesn’t decide what to wear based on whether someone may get their feelings hurt.

Before the call ended, Thompson — whom Goldstein noted was “not belligerent or threatening” — asked if he “plan[ned] on making any changes” to his attire.

MORE: Another hoax: Third UVA hate crime falls apart in past year

Goldstein said he took Thompson’s query as a suggestion “in the gentlest way possible that [he] should remove the hat.” But he told her he “had no regrets” and “plan[ned] on continuing to wear the hat.”

From the article:

[Goldstein] found the incident troubling. Knowing that he had every right to wear a cap expressing his religious belief, the OECR should have closed the case up front.

Ironically, the office in charge of protecting people from harassment on the basis of religion subjected Goldstein to a 20-minute Zoom call and applied mild pressure to stop expressing his Christian view.

“I find it highly unlikely that such a meeting would occur if I reported a student for chanting ‘from the river to the sea’ and spreading similar genocidal messaging, or if I reported a student for wearing apparel supporting gay pride,” he says. “Those are out of bounds, but intimidating the Christian student is perfectly acceptable in today’s world. Sadly, this is where we stand, but I will not be intimidated, and I will not back down. Jesus will return, and it is my hope that all repent and believe.”

To Goldstein’s point about “genocidal messaging,” earlier this year UVA art history professor Christa Robbins canceled class “in solidarity” with the Israel boycott, divest, sanctions movement, and out of her “own sympathies with the people of Palestine.” It is not known if she received a call from the UVA Office of Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.

Also earlier in 2024, UVA settled with an alumna who was deemed guilty by a university tribunal in 2020 of “threatening” Black Lives Matter activists. The alumna had been falsely accused by BLM/“fat liberation advocate” Zyahna Bryant of saying the road-blocking activists would make “good f*cking speed bumps.”

MORE: University of Virginia puts accused students through triple jeopardy

IMAGES: Alumni Free Speech Alliance/X; U. Virginia

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