The student government of the University of Virginia (UVA) voted down a bill condemning “cancel culture” being waged against members of the campus community.
SR21-15, the resolution “condemning the ‘cancel culture’ invading the University of Virginia,” did not pass, according to a report by the Cavalier Daily.
The resolution stated that “the Student Council Representative Body joins the UVA Student Body in standing against CANCEL CULTURE at large — not just on the basis political affiliation, but also ALL other factors as outlined by the UVA EOCR non-discrimination clause.”
The UVA student council member who sponsored the resolution, Nickolaus Cabrera, told Campus Reform that “nowhere in the legislation does it call for the implementation of a policy that would take away their speech, but rather simply condemn actions of mass canceling.”
Cabrera went on to explain that he created the resolution in response to how some conservatives have been treated on campus.
“The tipping point that led me to formulate this resolution is the ostracizing that many young conservatives, especially in college, face every day,” Cabrera said. “Many more college conservatives exist, however, we are constantly ostracized for our rational political opinions, making it extremely easy for conservatives at liberal universities to feel silenced and afraid to voice their beliefs.”
Cabrera — who is also a member of UVA’s Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) student group — added that his club members have been harassed both in public and on social media, have faced threats and harassment at UVA student council meetings, and have had their banners torn down and replaced with “FXCK YAF.”
Recently, University of Virginia students voted 89 percent in favor of banning gender pronouns from the school’s constitution, swapping them out for gender-neutral pronouns, such as “they.”
Last month, a federal judge ruled that a UVA School of Medicine student — who was suspended for questioning the validity of “microaggressions” at an academic panel discussion — may move forward with a lawsuit against the school for allegedly violating his First Amendment rights.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler @alana, and on Instagram.
