The American Club at Long Island University has been suspended from all on and off-campus events, and even from posting on social media pending an investigation into posts made by the club on International Women’s Day.

The club consists of five established conservative organizations — TPUSA, Students for Life, Young Americans for Liberty, Young America’s Foundation, and Young Americans for Freedom. On International Women’s Day, the American Club posted 5 slides to their Instagram story regarding topics from transgenderism to the pro-life movement. The slides were then screenshot by a group on campus and used as “evidence” that the American Club had violated the LIU Student Code of Conduct.

The organization which took issue with the American Club’s posts is called “LIU Freedom Fighters” and seems to have been created specifically to counter the mission of the American Club, considering their Instagram biography reads, “Down with the American Club.” LIU Freedom Fighters does not claim to be an official club recognized by LIU but has consistently called for the American Club to be disbanded by the university.

Three days ago, LIU Freedom Fighters posted an open letter regarding the posts made by the American Club, stating that the Student Code of Conduct was violated. The open letter specifically quoted the following excerpt, “The LIU Student Code of Conduct is founded on the principles of respect for oneself, respect for others, respect for property, respect for authority, and honesty.”

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“The line that separates opinion from hate speech has been crossed,” the letter reads, “and as a school that claims to prioritize DEI, [diversity, equity, and inclusion] this is a critical inflection point.”

The posts American Club shared were not intended to harass or intimidate others on campus, and though they very clearly fall in the “opinion” and free speech category — any opinion which disagrees with the prescribed liberal narrative that was established all of five minutes ago is now “hate speech.”

The stories that LIU Freedom Fighters claim crossed a line included a Turning Point USA Instagram post that stated, “On International Women’s Day We Honor Real Womanhood,” as well as a satirical post that read, “when men pretending to be women celebrate International Women’s Day.”

Another which caught the attention of the progressive college students was a quote from Daily Wire commentator Matt Walsh, explaining that transgenderism is not a real category because a person can only be male or female. Of course, his claim is entirely accurate. Walsh was not being harsh or hateful towards a group of people in his statement, which leads one to believe that this would fall within the set criteria for the Student Code of Conduct. In fact, “honesty” is the exact word used in the code, but of course, the far-left institution means their truth and their honesty — not objective truth.

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Following their consistent complaints, the LIU Freedom Fighters succeeded in getting the American Club suspended not just from on and off-campus events, but even suspended from their own social media channels. The idea that simple truths, spoken with kindness and honesty, are considered a violation of the university’s policy, but the hateful rhetoric that the LIU Freedom Fighters used to slander their classmates is entirely acceptable — is all the evidence needed to prove that the game is rigged against conservative students.

Image: LIU Freedom Fighters on Instagram

Below is the notice of investigation and suspension given to the American Club members, informing them that they had potentially violated a number of school policies related to “respect for others” and the university’s social media policy.

Names of students and contact information of university staff have been redacted for privacy.

LIU Freedom Fighters released a statement celebrating the fact that now “diversity, equity, and inclusion” could be fully pursued on campus — because they took away diverse opinions, and excluded certain voices from their community.

The club writes, “‘if we are to foster a community built upon a foundation of diversity, equity, inclusion, access, opportunity, innovation, confidence, trust, respect, caring, and relationship-building,’ gender identity & sexual orientation must receive the utmost respect as a reflection of these values.” This group actively advocated for exclusionary practices, limiting opportunities for other students, and did not respectfully convey their concerns. Instead, LIU Freedom Fighters chose to insult their classmates online rather than engage with their opinions and perspectives on an intellectual level. They shouted down, name-called, and silenced their ideological opposition.

This weak response is only used by people trying to defend the indefensible.

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As college campuses grow increasingly hostile to conservative voices, it is imperative to find like-minded individuals and uplift and encourage one another to stand for the freedom to say what is true. That is what Turning Point USA chapters aim to do — create communities of conservative students who can enjoy open dialogue and debate while working to preserve American values like free markets and limited government. We hope that LIU will reverse its decision to suspend this club for simply stating opinions — even if some people disagree.