Colorado College: Students Found Guilty for Satirical Flyer

In 2008, interns in the Feminist and Gender Studies program at Colorado College distributed a flyer called “The Monthly Rag,” which included a reference to “male castration,” an announcement about a lecture on “feminist porn,” and an explanation of “packing” (pretending to have a phallus). In parody of “The Monthly Rag,” in February 2008,  two male students distributed a flyer called “The Monthly Bag” under the pseudonym “Coalition of Some Dudes.” Their flyer included references to “tough guy wisdom,” “chainsaw etiquette,” the shooting range of a sniper rifle, and a quotation about “female violence and abuse” of men from the website batteredmen.com. After several complaints about the flyer, the students received notice on March 3 that the flyer was interpreted by members of the community as an  “attempt to target certain campus populations with the intention of devaluing, intimidating, or even threatening harm.” FIRE wrote to Colorado College on March 21, explaining that parody is unequivocally protected by free expression, which the college promises its students. On March 25, the students were informed that they had been found guilty of violating the college’s “violence” policy, and in April, the students’ appeals were denied. In June, the college’s Board of Trustees affirmed the college’s decision.