Milo Yiannopoulos to Give “Praying the Gay Away” Speech
Milo Yiannopoulos is no stranger to controversy. He has always been a conservative icon for being both an “Ex-Gay,” as he has stated recently, and being anti-gay. He has recently decided to speak at Penn State University, where he plans to “Pray the Gay Away,” according to LGBTQ Nation.
According to recent articles, Milo Yiannopoulos’ career has slowly dried up due to the republican and MAGA movement distancing themselves from him. He has faced several issues, from financial problems to shows canceling on him. The once-thriving and proud troll whose voice and antics made him famous is now facing a lack of support.
The recent announcement that he would be speaking at Penn State has created many backlashes. The University college Democrats recently put out a statement on the upcoming show. “We condemn both Yiannopoulos for his actions and the Penn State Administration for allowing this event to occur on our campus,” the College Democrats wrote on the Collegian Edu website.
The college democrats also took to Twitter to condemn the show.
The official College Democrats at Penn State statement on the upcoming “Pray the Gay Away,” event happening at Penn State on November 3rd. If you are a Penn State student, we strongly encourage attending the Love is Louder event in Heritage Hall from 5-8 on November 3rd. pic.twitter.com/ptct5bFqQ3
— PSU College Dems (@PSUCollegeDems) October 26, 2021
According to the Hill, the college choice to allow this is protected by Freedom of Speech and the school policies. Protecting the right to freedom of expression through the constitution, even regarding hate speech, is a double-edged sword.
Freedom of Speech Protection
I covered in my article “Walking Out on Dave Chapelle’s ‘The Closer” how freedom of speech relates to Dave Chappelle’s show. The controversial Yiannopoulos show is also protected by free speech and the first amendment.
However, this puts stress on colleges and other businesses that are required to follow the laws, as well as creates a hostile atmosphere that can lead to discrimination towards the LGBTQ community.
Yiannopoulos’ antics are not new. He built his base on anti-LGBTQ movements through the 2016-2020 Trump presidency. This allowed him to build a reputation for trolling LGBTQ people and democrats.
According to the Department of Justice, the rise in hate crimes against race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation has gone up dynamically in 2019 and 2020. This coincides with the FBI stats that hate crimes and hate speech saw a rise from 2016 to 2020. You can find the data here: FBI hates stats.
Even though the ability to commit hate speech is protected, it does not ethically or morally replace the fact that hundreds, if not thousands, of victims face discrimination, such as what will happen on November 3.
