Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression

Brotherhood and sisterhood are forced to take a backseat to bureaucracy and suppression in Greek Life at @GallaudetU. Their new Greek Reform Guidelines impose sweeping rules that ban words like “pledge,” control student attire at events, and restrict who can become members.

A federal court has vindicated the rights of a @USD professor who was set to be fired for social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s murder. This decision confirms what FIRE has long said—the First Amendment protects faculty’s personal speech on matters of public concern.

Texas’s Angelo State University reportedly has an unwritten policy that bans faculty from discussing “transgender topics,” using students’ preferred names, or displaying LGBTQ flags. As a public university, ASU must allow faculty to teach students as they see fit.

The University of Missouri doubles down on cancelling a student event for using “Black” in the name, claiming students might think it was racially exclusive. Yet Mizzou has no issue with its own Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center or Black Studies courses. Pot, meet kettle.

Google should not have waited to acknowledge it was pressured by the Biden administration to block content on its platforms. Google condemns jawboning now, but it failed to stand up for the rights of its users when it mattered.

BREAKING: A University of South Dakota professor filed a federal lawsuit today after the university moved to fire him over a Facebook post about Charlie Kirk’s assassination, following pressure from top state officials. FIRE supports Professor Hook’s efforts to defend his First Amendment rights.

FIRE’s Bob Corn-Revere for @PostOpinions: FCC Chair Brendan Carr nakedly abused government power to pressure ABC into removing Jimmy Kimmel from the air for his speech. In America, the government doesn’t get to play network executive and determine who and what you watch.

The firing of Clemson University faculty members for posts about the murder of Charlie Kirk is the start of a troubling national trend. FIRE reminds Clemson and all public universities that protected speech remains protected, even in tragedy.

4/ Our Faculty Legal Defense Fund gives public college faculty legal help when they’re punished. We connect qualifying cases with local attorneys and cover initial costs. If you know a professor facing punishment for their speech, contact FIRE. ⬇️ www.thefire.org/defending-yo...

The firing of Clemson University faculty members for posts about the murder of Charlie Kirk is the start of a troubling national trend. FIRE reminds Clemson and all public universities that protected speech remains protected, even in tragedy.

2/ The murder of Charlie Kirk has sent a jolt through American life — especially on campus, where ideas are meant to be challenged, not assassinated. This fraught moment may tempt censorship of protected speech, but we cannot let that happen.

On Constitution Day, we honor the principles that make America strong and remember that its survival depends on us. Introducing Soapbox: FIRE’s bold new conference to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with high-impact keynotes, timely panels, and unforgettable entertainment.

WEBINAR: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says hate speech isn’t free speech—but the Supreme Court has declared otherwise. Join FIRE as we unpack Bondi’s remarks, explain what the law actually says, and respond to the latest free speech news from the past week.

There is no hate speech exception to the First Amendment. Nevertheless, the attorney general says "there's free speech, and then there's hate speech," and the government will "target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech."

Student acceptance of violence to silence speakers is at a record high. In 2020, 1 in 5 students said violence was acceptable to stop a speaker. In 2025, that number is 1 in 3. That’s a 79% increase in just five years. And it’s chilling.

The rise is happening across ideological lines. No one is immune. Students on the left were long the most accepting of violence, but now support has grown everywhere. Acceptance among students on the right and Independents has doubled or tripled, even surpassing the left.

BREAKING: Charlie Kirk was shot during an event at Utah Valley University today. Details of the incident are still unfolding. Political violence is never an acceptable response to speech. Free speech allows us to settle our differences peacefully and is essential to a free and democratic society.

Yesterday, after a video of a student complaining about discussions of gender identity in a Texas A&M “Literature for Children” class went viral, Governor Greg Abbott demanded on X that Texas A&M President Mark Welsh fire Professor Melissa McCoul for the content of her course.

5/ Further justifying his decision, Welsh wrote: “This isn’t about academic freedom; it’s about academic responsibility.” Welsh’s attempt to wave aside Texas A&M’s binding legal obligation to uphold academic freedom does not excuse McCoul’s termination.

Yesterday, after a video of a student complaining about discussions of gender identity in a Texas A&M “Literature for Children” class went viral, Governor Greg Abbott demanded on X that Texas A&M President Mark Welsh fire Professor Melissa McCoul for the content of her course.

3/ In his statement, Welsh attempted to justify the firing by alleging McCoul taught “content that was inconsistent with the published course description."

Yesterday, after a video of a student complaining about discussions of gender identity in a Texas A&M “Literature for Children” class went viral, Governor Greg Abbott demanded on X that Texas A&M President Mark Welsh fire Professor Melissa McCoul for the content of her course.

Who’s winning and who’s failing at campus free speech? Join FIRE for a special webinar on the 2026 College Free Speech Rankings—and what it means for American colleges and universities. Register today and bring your questions to the live Q&A! 🔥

BREAKING: FIRE’s 2026 College Free Speech Rankings reveal America’s colleges are failing. The nation’s report card on campus speech shows over half of colleges received an “F” rating. Intolerance in students has skyrocketed in the Trump 2.0 era.

6/ Increasingly, censorship is bipartisan. Conservative students are joining their liberal peers in saying shout-downs are acceptable. One in three students now believe that violence is at least rarely acceptable to silence a speaker—making campus speech less free for everyone.

BREAKING: FIRE’s 2026 College Free Speech Rankings reveal America’s colleges are failing. The nation’s report card on campus speech shows over half of colleges received an “F” rating. Intolerance in students has skyrocketed in the Trump 2.0 era.

4/ Barnard College, Columbia University, and Indiana University are ranked the worst colleges for free speech. They fell after disastrous responses to Israel-Hamas War protests—Indiana even stationed snipers on rooftops during peaceful encampments. Safe to say, free speech wasn’t a priority.

BREAKING: FIRE’s 2026 College Free Speech Rankings reveal America’s colleges are failing. The nation’s report card on campus speech shows over half of colleges received an “F” rating. Intolerance in students has skyrocketed in the Trump 2.0 era.

2/ FIRE and College Pulse surveyed over 68,000 students from 257 institutions to uncover the state of free speech in higher education. Across the country, campuses enforce unclear policies and restrict debate, fueling a climate where free speech is under threat.