Brief #9: College Media

Thinking back over the last 500 years, Americans have managed to recover from the severe outcomes of social differences, sexual freedoms, and even racial oppression. We may be still in rehab, but with so many different characteristics trying to blend in as one united nation, you can't expect change without conflict. It is normal for humans to not know something about everything. It is a characteristic that we have to not only learn to accept, but we have to have the will to seek more information rather than to react erratically. One of the most controversial topics today falls along the lines of sexual identity and sexual preference. The LGBTQ+ community has made many advancements in several communities through education, service, and awareness. In the light of providing  education from every aspect and point of view, Kennesaw State University has decided to host a Queer Research Day. The students of KSU have created a partnership between the LGBTQ Student Programs, Department of Social Work and Human Services, and the Presidential Commission on LGBTQ Initiatives in order to "challenge normalcy".

According to CollegeMedia Network, the QRD event sprung from the attention KSU got for "telling it's students that 'ne, 've,' 'ey,' 'ze' and 'xe,' are gender-neutral pronouns in a pamphlet, so their hosting of this conference should not be a surprise." CampusReform explains that it will include workshops like "An Exploration of Queer Representation in Fairytales" and "Queer Developmental Approaches to Working With Young People" while also giving attendees the opportunity to "share their 'queer research' and explain how they are 'addressing queerness' in their work."

Although the Conference gained a lot of publicity and success, there were a few fights against the progression. There were 2 "free speech" lawsuits filled alleging discrimination against conservative students in the month of February. Campus Reform says that "the lawsuits accuse KSU of using vaguely-worded policies to restrict speech that administrators deem 'controversial,' as well as maintaining a capricious four-tiered classification system for student groups." Both lawsuits were issued by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF); the first was on behalf of a Christian student group called the Ratio Christi for being subject to a "free speech zone", and the second claimed that there were unconstitutional "security fees" for inviting Katie Pavlich, a conservative commentator, to campus by the YAF or the Young Americans for Freedom's Kennesaw chapter.