A new Tennessee law has been called “the most comprehensive state legislation protecting free speech on college campuses that we’ve seen passed anywhere in the country” by a group that advocates free speech on campuses.
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) said the legislation, passed in May, is timely considering “the number of restrictive speech codes across the country and the recent controversies over speech on campuses.”
Although the law doesn’t take effect until Jan. 1, it couldn’t happen soon enough.
Free speech on college campuses – especially from the political right – has been under assault for much of the last decade, but the assaults picked up in number and ferocity in the last year.
In February, University of California security stood aside as violent rioters assaulted students, destroyed property and forced the cancellation of controversial speaker Milo Yiannopoulos, then the Breitbart News tech editor.