The Tennessee Legislature has passed a bill that would ban college officials from uninviting or disallowing speakers from campus.
The Charlie Kirk Act was passed by the Tennessee House after previously being passed by the Tennessee Senate.
It now heads to Republican Gov. Bill Lee's desk to be signed into law.
The legislation bars schools from canceling speakers due to anticipated protests, opposition, or the speaker's viewpoint. It includes explicit protections for speakers expressing opposition to abortion, homosexuality, and transgender identity.
It also bans college students from "staging walkouts during an event or in the middle of an invited speaker's remarks" and "using signs ... to block or impede an audience member's view of an invited speaker."
State Rep. Gino Bulso, a Republican, told The Tennessean he wants Tennessee to be the gold standard for universities being "neutral when it comes to divisive political and social issues."
State Sen. Jeff Yarbro, a Democrat who opposed the bill, said there are parts of the bill at odds with the policy.
"We say we want an area where ideas are contested, but what this does is it creates a pathway to crack down on free expression," Yarbro told The Tennessean.
"Walking out of a room during a speech is one of the simplest, easiest, least obstructive forms of expression known to man. We're giving speakers the right to speak and the audience the right to sit quietly and listen."
Bulso praised Kirk, saying that he devoted his life to fostering civil, robust debate on college campuses.
"He was someone who encouraged everyone to love others," Bulso said, according to The Center Square.
"He wanted to be known for his courage and for his faith. He actually was someone who, without apology, defended the truth."
State Rep. Justin Jones, a Democrat who read a list of remarks Kirk made that he believed were racist, noted that several people who supported the bill also supported Tennessee professors being suspended for criticizing Kirk after his death.
"It's ironic that this body is talking about free speech when we had professors in Tennessee schools expelled and suspended when they did not mourn the death of Charlie Kirk, when they said that his statements were problematic and that the way he died did not redeem the way he lived," Jones said.
Bulso said preserving campus free speech is important to civil discourse and academic freedom.
"The Charlie Kirk Act creates critical safeguards for students and faculty and renews the idea that our higher education institutions should be centers of intellectual debate," Bulso said.
"This legislation honors the legacy of Charlie Kirk by promoting thoughtful engagement and defending religious freedom."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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