On Wednesday Afternoon, CU Boulder announced via their Facebook page that our campus would be hosting Milo Yiannopoulos to speak on January 25th. 

Milo Yiannopoulos is currently the tech editor for the ultra-conservative publication Breitbart, a news outlet that has been recently connected to the alt-right.

Chancellor Philip DiStefano has said that "the campus supports the free exchange of ideas, even those that are controversial" and that "hosting a speaker on campus does not mean the university endorses or has other viewpoints on that speaker’s message."

I completely agree that a healthy democracy requires the free exchange of contrasting educated ideas and viewpoints. However, Milo Yiannopoulos has repeatedly limited himself to expressed purely misogynistic, white nationalist, and anti-LGBQT views via his Twitter account and articles for Breitbart. 

Here are links to some of these articles: 

How to Make Women Happy: Uninvent the Washing Machine and the Pill: http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2016/08/29/the-washing-machine-and-the-pill-the-two-worst-inventions-in-the-history-of-humanity/

Trannies are Gay: http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2016/10/24/full-text-trannies-gay-milo/

Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy: http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2015/12/08/birth-control-makes-women-unattractive-and-crazy/

There's No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews: http://www.breitbart.com/milo/2016/07/01/not-sexism-women-just-suck-interviews/

Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/01/hoist-it-high-and-proud-the-confederate-flag-proclaims-a-glorious-heritage/

Gay Rights Have Made Us Dumber, It's Time to Get Back in the Closet: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/17/gay-rights-have-made-us-dumber-its-time-to-get-back-in-the-closet/

These are just a few examples from the span of his career. This is not the beneficial expression of contradicting ideas, this is hate speech. Even if the University of Colorado claims to not agree with his view points and ideas, offering him a spot to speak at our campus legitimizes and welcomes these ideas. It is naive to believe that offering someone the opportunity to speak at a University does not inherently give credibility to their ideas. In addition to this, the views that have been repeatedly expressed by this idividual stand in direct opposition to the University's stated values of inclusion and diversity. 

I welcome you to sign this petition, which will be delivered to the Chancellor, if, as a student or a supporter of the University of Colorado at Boulder, you believe that this event, and the hatred that comes with it, has no place on our wonderful campus.