UNM did right thing by seeing past whines of ‘I’m offended’

Speaking as a card carrying liberal, and also as a gay man and thus as a member of the LGBT community, let me just say that in my opinion the University of New Mexico made the proper decision in the Chick-fil-A case.

While I cannot deny that Chick-fil-A’s founder and I disagree on the subject of LGBT rights, and while I cannot deny that the actions of Chick-fil-A in opposing gay rights are offensive to me personally, the mere fact that I found the opposing viewpoint wrong-headed and even offensive does not establish that I — or any other member of the LGBT community — am made “unsafe” because of Chick-fil-A’s presence on the UNM campus.

Further, my disagreement with the company and/or its founder’s position on the subject of LGBT rights does not give me, or anyone else, a right to use government force to silence that view.

Let me just remind all of you who believe the government should “protect” you against those who might “offend you” of one little fact: There is no right not to be offended in the U.S. Constitution.

To the contrary, freedom of speech means that sometimes you will be required to hear things that may offend you. That’s one of the prices of having free speech.

What some members of the LGBT community did here in seeking to use government power to drive Chick-fil-A off of the UNM campus was simply and clearly wrong. Seeking to use government power to silence an opposing viewpoint because you are offended by it is nothing more, or less, than tyranny.

I, for one, do not, and will not, subscribe to the currently fashionable notion that those of us on the left have a “right” to silence other’s opinions merely because we disagree with them or we may be offended by them.

I applaud UNM for seeing past “political correctness” and past the cries of “I’m offended” and getting this one right.