Gay Rights and Viewpoint Coercion

There's a sobering piece by longtime civil libertarian Wendy Kaminer in the current online Atlantic Monthly about the perils of being an evangelical Christian on campus these days, especially if your aim is to pursue a career in teaching, social work or counseling. Increasingly, as Kaminer notes, the rights of free speech don't apply to such people, as she illustrates in several examples similar to those in our own study, The Scandal of Social Work Education. Don't believe for a minute, needless to say, that "tolerance" within the current campus context, means adopting a live-and-let-live posture. No way: you're going to be smoked out, if you want your degree. That means you'd better reply in the affirmative when asked your position on gay marriage, homosexuality, and other contentious social issues. And if your private religious convictions or some other source of conscience gets in the way, well, do you want to work here or don't you? There's no place for "bigots," as you'll quickly be rated otherwise. Especially sad is Kaminer's observation that the ACLU has virtually abandoned the defense of free speech in such cases, evidently because it clashes with their own political agenda. Good thing the Alliance Defense Fund is on the job. Watch out, as "tolerance" enforcement on campus takes an even more aggressive stance.