Conservative students at Embry-Riddle University have scored a major victory against leftist censorship after the Young Americans for Freedom chapter was blocked from distributing pro-Israel materials and hosting a speaker who detransitioned.
At a Glance
- Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) filed a civil rights complaint against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for violating students’ free speech rights
- The university blocked YAF from distributing pro-Israel materials on Holocaust Remembrance Day while allowing left-wing activism
- Administrators prevented YAF from hosting detransitioner Chloe Cole, but reversed course after legal pressure
- The complaint accuses the university of implementing a “totalitarian Speech Ban” targeting conservative viewpoints
- YAF’s victory demonstrates the effectiveness of conservative students fighting back against campus censorship
Conservative Speech Targeted While Leftist Activism Flourishes
Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) has taken decisive action against what they describe as blatant censorship at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). The conservative student organization filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights after university administrators repeatedly blocked their events while permitting progressive activism. The university’s selective enforcement created a clear double standard, with conservative viewpoints facing restrictions that liberal causes did not encounter.
“A lot of people may have heard of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University because it has a great history of training generations of pilots and mechanics and other people that are critical to the aviation industry,” said Spencer Brown, head of communications with YAF. “They’ve been infected with this leftist, woke, radical, DEI, radical transgender ideology, all this other stuff, just like so many of the larger schools people might think of normally.”
It's unsurprising, then, that @EmbryRiddle only uses its ban on "political" speech to block conservative students' activism while allowing celebrations of "transgender awareness." pic.twitter.com/yks3drQSfB
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) February 19, 2025
The university’s administrators cited that pro-Israel flags and buttons would “seem directly connected to the day of significance and could be considered political” when blocking YAF from observing Holocaust Remembrance Day. Meanwhile, the same administrator who shut down the YAF event proudly displayed LGBTQ items in her office and approved campus events for “Trans Day of Visibility,” demonstrating the hypocritical application of university policies.
Challenging the “Totalitarian Speech Ban”
The civil rights complaint details a pattern of censorship against YAF initiatives, including a “Stand with Israel” display, a “9/11: Never Forget” memorial, and a “Biology Basics activism project.” University officials repeatedly invoked vague justifications, referencing “the spirit of the policy [ban]” without providing clear standards or consistent application of rules. The arbitrary nature of these restrictions violates the university’s own Campus Expression Policy, which explicitly affirms that “freedom of expression and assembly are rights of all citizens.”
“These bans, which were just a run-up to the total speech ban, lacked any support in ERAU’s rules” – the complaint
YAF’s General Counsel, Vic Bernson, sent a strongly-worded letter to ERAU’s President Butler demanding the immediate repeal of what they termed a “totalitarian Speech Ban.” The letter highlighted the contradiction between the university’s stated values and its actual practices, noting that the ban undermines the educational mission of the institution. YAF also warned of potential public backlash and reputational damage if the university continued to suppress conservative speech.
Victory for Free Speech: Chloe Cole Will Speak
In a significant win for the First Amendment on campus, ERAU administrators reversed course and agreed to allow detransitioner Chloe Cole to speak following legal pressure from YAF. Cole, who has become an important voice in the national conversation on gender ideology after regretting her own transition as a minor, had initially been barred from speaking to students. The university’s capitulation demonstrates both the importance of organizations willing to fight back against censorship and the effectiveness of legal action.
The situation at Embry-Riddle is not isolated but reflects a broader pattern of hostility toward conservative viewpoints on college campuses nationwide. Spencer Brown noted that YAF plans to file additional complaints at other institutions where student rights are being violated. President Trump’s executive orders eliminating DEI initiatives in educational institutions have provided crucial leverage for these efforts, creating accountability mechanisms for universities that engage in viewpoint discrimination.
This victory represents a turning point for conservative students at Embry-Riddle, demonstrating that principled resistance to censorship can succeed even in challenging campus environments. As more conservative students stand up for their rights with organizational support, the culture of suppression that has dominated many universities may finally begin to change.
