A debate on transgenderism between Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles and Brad Palumbo from BASEDPolitics at the University of Pittsburgh was met with significant protests. Demonstrators burned Knowles’ likeness with a Hitler mustache in effigy and detonated smoke bombs, while chanting “shut down Michael Knowles” and accusing him of hate speech. An “incendiary device” was hurled at security personnel and set off outside the building, prompting University of Pittsburgh police to issue an emergency notification instructing students to stay away from the area and shut down the dorms.
One video of the protest also shows demonstrators blocking the entrance to the O’Hara Student Center while chanting and beating drums.
In addition to the Pittsburgh controversy, conservative commentator Liz Wheeler’s upcoming speech at James Madison University, “The Ideology of Transgenderism,” also drew criticism on social media in recent days. Comments were vulgar and explicit. Social media replies to event promotion included “f*ck this sh*t,” “this is disgusting,” and “stupid. stupid. stupid.”
Many students condemned the event in their comments, suggesting boycotting it and arguing that JMU shouldn’t host Wheeler. The incident led to a meeting between the vice president for student affairs and several worried students, and a protest is anticipated.
Liz Wheeler’s April 26th speech at JMU is free and open to the public. Click here for details on how to attend or watch live online.
Similar controversy surrounded Matt Walsh’s planned speech on “What is a Woman?” at the University of Iowa. The University of Iowa Young Americans for Freedom chapter, which will host Walsh, has faced doxxing, harassment, threats, and infiltration by left-wing students looking to disrupt their event for the past six weeks.
