California colleges blocked from punishing students for misgendering classmates under woke policy

A federal judge has temporarily blocked the University of California from enforcing parts of its transgender harassment policy against members of a conservative education group, finding they are likely to succeed on claims that the rules violate the First Amendment.US District Judge Fred W.Slaughter issued a preliminary injunction preventing UC from punishing members of Defending Education for using, “in a commonplace way,” names or pronouns corresponding with a transgender person’s sex assigned at birth rather than their gender identity, per the Los Angeles Times. The ruling does not completely strike down UC’s Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy and only protects members of Defending Education while the group’s lawsuit against the university system moves forward.But Slaughter found the organization was likely to prevail on its First Amendment challenge, writing that UC’s policy “compels speech and is viewpoint-based,” according to the outlet.At the center of the legal showdown is a policy applying to students, faculty, staff and certain third parties that identifies the “intentional or repeated use of a name or pronoun inconsistent with the individual’s gender identity” as conduct that may constitute harassment.Defending Education sued UC colleges in June, arguing the policy is so broad that students fear punishment simply for expressing their beliefs about biological sex and gender identity.The group’s complaint also alleges the rules can extend beyond conversations on campus to online communications and text messages, while university employees are required to report suspected violations.Defending Education further argued violations can carry serious consequences under UC disciplinary rules, potentially including suspension or expulsion, restrictions from campus activities or locations and in some circumstances, revocation of academic degrees.“These students want to engage in speech covered by the SVSH Policy, but they credib...