The Young Democratic Socialist of America at ETSU calls on the University to cancel Michael Knowles from speaking on campus because he threatens the lives of Trans and all queer people. At a Conservative Political Action Conference in March, Knowles told a crowd, "For the good of society... transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely- the whole preposterous ideology, at every level." This rhetoric is extremely dangerous and is calling for a genocide of trans people. 

Michael Knowles’s rhetoric is not Free Speech but Hate Speech. As ETSU defines Hate Speech on their website: Hate speech is speech that offends, threatens, or insults individuals or groups based on race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or other traits. This includes trans people. Michael Knowel’s calling for, “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely" should not be taken lightly. This is comparable to Nazi Germany, when Hitler mass genocide Jewish people, which started targeting the trans community and sending them to concentration camps. As students and community members, we cannot let this stand and watch our fellow trans students, faculty, and staff members getting attacked.

ETSU is a diverse campus of all races, sexualities, gender, abilities, and even ideology. We specifically have many trans and queer students on campus. ETSU is becoming a hostile environment- preachers on campus calling students gay students murderers, fagg*ts, sluts, and whores. Now ETSU is allowing a man on campus who is calling for transgender people to be eradicated. ETSU has a duty to students to fight for them and maintain a safe atmosphere for their learning. Hate Speech is not free speech. Students should not have to worry about being harassed on their way to class by outside groups not subject to student rules of conduct. These same speakers of hate speech should not be protected by campus security while students who have been harassed are told to stay back. This is not an environment conducive to learning. 

The administration has shown time and time again that their support for Free Speech is entirely conditional upon whether that speech threatens funding. In 2021, the basketball team kneeled at a game for black lives, rich community members got mad, funding was threatened, and suddenly, our basketball coach “resigned.” Dr. Noland refused to support these young men kneeling, and only said that he was “handling” the situation. 

In 2023, YDSA organized a drag show to be held in the Culp Center Auditorium and at every step along the way we received push back from the administration- asking for us to move off campus, writing a student activities policy enacting the drag ban bill before it was illegal, making us move the drag show two days before the event, and circumventing their own rule allowing students to administer the rule by hiring a private security firm. That same night, the bill was temporarily blocked, deeming the drag bill which would prevent public, all ages drag shows “unconstitutionally vague” and proving the efforts of the university administration excessive and unnecessary. University President Dr. Noland made no comment on this event, and the university did not deny that their treatment of the event was rooted in homophobia and transphobia. ETSU will go great lengths to protect themselves and their capital but will not protect their students who give the university life.

ETSU, join the right side of history and stand in solidarity with your LGBTQ+ students. 

In Solidarity, 

YDSA at ETSU

We demand action from East Tennessee State University to:

1.     The University must cancel Michael Knowles from speaking on campus because he threatens the lives all queer and trans students.

2.     The University must protect LGBTQ students from harassment from outside groups and individuals.

3.     The University must retract its policy requiring student-organized drag shows to be 18+