"The South will not rise again" was just one of the nonsensical chants students, potential students, and visitors to the University of Alabama heard chanted by the Queer Student Association at a recent on-campus rally.
The issue: protesters' opposition to the university refusing to compel students to violate their First Amendment rights of free speech and religious freedom.
The protest was in response to news that the school's Young America's Foundation (YAF) requested and was granted an exception from including the terms "gender identity, gender expression, sexual identity" as written in the university's required "non-discrimination" statement for each student group. As previously reported by 1819 News, YAF reached out to President Stuart Bell directly while copying Attorney General Steve Marshall and making a case that the language was a violation of their rights. As a result, YAF was able to exclude the language.
Trenton Buffenbarger, YAF's UA president, attended the event with fellow YAF members. "YAF only came out to counter-protest to make sure our voice was heard and represented after so much misrepresentation in the media and on campus."
YAF has been criticized by opponents of its rights even though the group has repeatedly said that "all students are welcome" to join. Their opposition stems from compelled speech, for example, "when a man decides to wear a skirt into the ladies' room and lie about what he is," meaning they refuse for the university to require their organization to call that man a woman.
Throughout the event, protesters repeatedly targeted YAF, chanting, "YAF has got to go" and "YAF, we call you out." Ironically, they did so while also chanting for free speech, which was the very right that YAF members were exercising.
Buffenbarger said, "Their chants were vaguely threatening at some points, and their messages contradicted themselves. We responded appropriately to each chant, and at one point read the First Amendment to them to ensure they knew what they were protesting for/against."
Since the initial news of the YAF exception was granted, the University of Alabama said it revised the language of the required "non-discrimination" statement in each group's constitution.
The original language student groups were instructed to include in their constitution verbatim was:
"Membership in registered student organizations shall be open to all students of The University of Alabama, without regard to race, religion, sex, ability status, national origin, color, age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual identity, or veteran status except in cases designated fraternal organizations exempted by federal law from Title IX regulations concerning discrimination on the basis of sex."
The statement now reads:
Membership in registered student organizations shall be open to all students of The University of Alabama, without regard to any legally protected class, except in cases of designated fraternal organizations exempted by federal law from Title IX regulations concerning discrimination on the basis of sex.
University of Alabama spokesman Alex House said, "This new statement, which is included on The SOURCE website, will be required of all registered student organizations going forward."
Buffenbarger reacted to the update, saying, "The change of policy, whatever brought it about, reflects a couple of things: It reflects that the University has affirmed and doubled down on our decision to erase the gender ideology language, as well as it reflects that the University is either panicking or scared that this change was brought to light, and by neglecting to make a firm decision on the language and leaving it broad they've only brought out more confusion from both sides."
1819 News reached out to the University to ask why the policy was changed and Dr. Bell's position on the original language but has not received a response.
Apryl Marie Fogel is a Birmingham resident who frequently appears on and guest hosts radio programs around the state. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X and Facebook at @aprylmarie.
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