Stanford University: Viewpoint-Discriminatory Funding Retraction, Massive Security Fees for Student Group's Conference

On March 5, 2014, Stanford University’s Graduate Student Council revoked $600 in funding that it had previously approved for the Stanford Anscombe Society’s (SAS’s) upcoming conference on marriage and “sexual integrity.” The funding was retracted following complaints by Stanford students alleging that the conference promoted discrimination and would lead to an unsafe environment for LGBT students. Stanford additionally ordered SAS to pay $5,600 for security requested by the university. FIRE wrote to Stanford and its student government on March 20, explaining that the GSC’s blatant viewpoint discrimination is irreconcilable with the university’s obligations to protect to free speech. FIRE has demanded that the revoked funding be restored and that that the security fees levied by the university on SAS be eliminated.