Exclusive | UC colleges sued over policy that punishes students for misgendering classmates

A wild University of California system policy that allegedly punished students for not using another person’s preferred pronouns has gotten the school into legal trouble courtesy of a lawsuit filed by a conservative watchdog.UC’s Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy impinges on free speech rights, according to the complaint filed by Defending Education and obtained by The California Post.“UC leaves no doubt that its ban on hostile-environment harassment covers protected speech,” legal representatives for Defending Education said in the documents.One section of the policy lists derogatory slurs related to sexual orientation as an example of “harassment.” A person simply laughing at someone for acting a certain way would violate the policy, it added.

Verbal speech like that is legally protected, Defending Education claimed.The policy also lists “intentional or repeated use of a name or pronoun inconsistent with the individual’s gender identity” as an example of harassment.California's top news, sports and entertainment delivered to your inbox every day.

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Never miss a story The policy’s reach is overly broad, according to Defending Education’s lawsuit, which notes that “prohibited conduct” can occur online or via text message — not just on campus — and requires school employees to report suspected violations.The lawsuit argues the penalties are severe, including expulsion from the UC system, revocation of academic degrees, and bans from certain campus activities and locations.It also points to student training materials that classify complaints about being “misgendered” as prohibited conduct and state that individuals cannot be asked to use a bathroom that does not align with their gender identity.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, Linked...