Students Protest Controversial YAF Speaker James Lindsay

[“WE ARE HERE, WE ARE QUEER”] 

ON TUESDAY, MORE THAN 150 NORTHWESTERN STUDENTS ARRIVED OUTSIDE SWIFT HALL TO PROTEST THE PRESENCE OF JAMES LINDSAY ON CAMPUS. THE NORTHWESTERN YOUNG AMERICANS FOR FREEDOM HOSTED THE SPEAKING EVENT FOR FREE IN SWIFT HALL AT 7PM. 

LINDSAY DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS AN “AUTHOR, MATHEMATICIAN, AND PROFESSIONAL TROUBLEMAKER” ON HIS WEBSITE. HE CAN ALSO BE CONSIDERED A CONSPIRACY THEORIST AND ANTI-LGBTQ ACTIVIST. 

THE EVENT ITSELF WAS TITLED “THE DANGERS OF IDENTITY POLITICS AND INTERSECTIONALITY.” THIS IS A POINT OF VIEW LINDSAY OFTEN SHARES ON HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL, ALONG WITH IMPLYING LGBTQ PEOPLE ARE GROOMERS AND DENYING CRITICAL RACE THEORY. 

TALK OF PROTESTS ON CAMPUS STARTED WHEN THE POSTER ADVERTISING LINSAY’S LECTURE CIRCULATED. IT FEATURED A PRIDE FLAG WITH A SKULL AND CROSSBONES. MANY QUEER STUDENTS WERE MOTIVATED TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THE MESSAGING, WAVING PRIDE FLAGS OUTSIDE OF THE EVENT. 

[“NO HATE SPEECH ON OUR CAMPUS”] 

THE AIM OF THE PROTESTORS WAS CLEAR. 

[“SHUT IT DOWN”] 

THE POSTER’S HATEFUL IMAGERY MOTIVATED SESPY AND WEINBERG SOPHOMORE KATHERINE MCDONNEL TO ATTEND THE PROTEST. 

KM: I’M A MEMBER OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY.AND SO SEEING THE POSTER THAT WAS USED TO PROMOTE THE EVENT, WHICH FROM MY UNDERSTANDING OF IT WAS KIND OF A CALL OF VIOLENCE AGAINST QUEER PEOPLE.SEEING THAT INITIALLY MADE ME WANT TO PROTEST THE EVENT AND NOT PROTEST IN THE HOPES OF LIKE PREVENTING THE EVENT FROM HAPPENING PER SE, BUT MORE SO TO OFFER SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO COME TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY AND KIND OF AIR THEIR GRIEVANCES WITH HATEFUL RHETORIC AND JUST KNOW THAT LIKE THERE’S OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO FEEL THE SAME WAY WHO ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THEM, WHO ARE THERE TO LIKE FIGHT FOR THEM. AND SO THAT’S KIND OF WHAT MADE ME WANT TO PROTEST WAS NOT JUST BEING A MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY BUT WANTING OTHER PEOPLE TO FEEL LIKE OTHER STUDENTS AT NORTHWESTERN ACTUALLY CARED ABOUT THEIR SAFETY AND WELL-BEING.

BECAUSE OF THE ADVERTISING DECISION MADE BY YOUNG AMERICANS FOR FREEDOM, MCDONNEL ADDED, 

KM: SO I’M NOT JUST PROTESTING THE SPEAKER, I’M PROTESTING PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLING FOR VIOLENCE AGAINST.

LEADING UP TO THE PROTESTS, AS MCCORMICK SOPHOMORE JUSTIN SORTLAND WAS SEEING POSTS ON INSTAGRAM, HE WAS INTERESTED AND JOINED A GROWING CROWD OF SPECTATORS. 

JS: WHEN I HEARD ABOUT, LIKE, WHO THE SPEAKER WAS, LIKE, I DIDN’T KNOW HIS NAME AND I DON’T THINK MANY PEOPLE DID BUT, LIKE, I, LIKE, LOOKED AT, I, LIKE, LOOKED UP HIS NAME AND I’M LIKE, OK, THIS IS INTERESTING.I HAVEN’T HEARD OF HIM BEFORE BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE UPSET SO I’LL GO SEE WHAT THIS IS ABOUT AND MAYBE LEARN, LIKE, WHO HE IS, WHAT HE BELIEVES.

THOUGH SOME PROTESTORS WERE MORE IMPASSIONED   THAN OTHERS, A SIGNIFICANT CROWD HAD AMASSED STARTING AT 6:30. 

FROM THE BEGINNING, THE TONE OF THE PROTEST CENTERED AROUND RESISTANCE. 

[“STAND UP, FIGHT BACK”] 

SORTLAND ADDED THAT SOME EVEN APPEARED TO BE OBSERVERS, WHILE OTHERS WERE MORE FERVENT IN THEIR BELIEFS. 

JS: I WOULD SAY A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE LIKE CHANTING AND LIKE, SOME PEOPLE ARE MORE PASSIONATE THAN OTHERS. I THINK I’D SAY LIKE THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK WERE, WERE JUST OBSERVING AND ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE FRONT WERE JUST VERY PASSIONATE.

[“OUR CAMPUS”] 

STUDENTS STOOD UP IN FRONT OF THE CROWD TO SAY WHAT THEY LOVED ABOUT THEMSELVES AND WHAT THEY WISHED THEY COULD SAY TO LINDSAY.

KM: I APPRECIATED HOW PEOPLE WERE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO LIKE, SPEAK IN FRONT OF THE CROWD AND KIND OF SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS AND SHARE THEIR IDENTITY AND HOW THERE WAS THAT ASPECT OF CELEBRATION FOR LIKE SHARING YOUR IDENTITY AND LIKE OWNING YOUR IDENTITY, OWNING WHO YOU ARE.

THEN, ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE EVENT, SOMEONE STOOD UP AND ANNOUNCED THEY WOULD BE GOING INSIDE. 

[“ANNOUNCING GOING IN”] 

MOST PROTESTORS FOLLOWED, AND  AROUND 40 PEOPLE ENDED UP IN THE ROOM WITH LINDSAY, UNTIL SECURITY STOPPED LETTING MORE OF THEM IN.

JS: THEY DIDN’T LET PEOPLE IN AFTER BECAUSE AFTER LIKE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE LIKE GOT IN ALREADY, THEY KIND OF JUST LIKE BLOCKED IT OFF. I THINK THAT YEAH, THEY WERE VERY LIKE, RESTRICTIVE AFTER A POINT BECAUSE, YEAH, LIKE I MENTIONED LIKE, PEOPLE ALREADY GOT IN.

MCDONNEL TRIED TO GO IN HOLDING A PRIDE FLAG, BUT THEY TOLD HER THAT THEY REACHED CAPACITY AND SHE HAD TO GO BACK OUT. SHE RECOGNIZED A FEW DIFFERENT REASONS FOR THE MANY PROTESTORS WHO WANTED TO GO INTO THE EVENT.    

KM: SOME PEOPLE WERE LIKE, GENUINELY CURIOUS, LIKE, WHAT DOES THIS PERSON HAVE TO SAY, NOT NECESSARILY LIKE THAT, THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO AGREE WITH HIM BUT JUST WANTING TO KNOW LIKE, OK, I KNOW THE GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT HE BELIEVES IN, BUT I WANT TO LIKE, HEAR HIM EXPLAIN IT HIMSELF. AND THEN FOR A FEW OTHER PEOPLE, IT WAS SOMETHING ALONG ALONG THE LINES OF I WANT HIM TO LIKE, LOOK ME IN THE EYE WHILE HE SAYS SOMETHING HATEFUL ABOUT MY IDENTITY OR I WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT LIKE, I AM REAL. SOME PEOPLE WANTED TO SIT IN THERE SO THEY COULD ASK HIM QUESTIONS AND TRY TO CHALLENGE HIM.

FOR THOSE THAT REMAINED OUTSIDE, THE MOOD OF THE PROTEST SHIFTED. AS THEY WAITED FOR LINDSAY TO EXIT, AN ORGANIZER ASKED FOR “REALLY QUEER MUSIC” TO BLAST OUT OF A SPEAKER, AND PEOPLE STARTED TO IMPROVISE. 

[PROTESTORS SINGING “PARTY IN THE U.S.A”] 

AFTER LINDSAY LEFT CAMPUS, THE BACK-AND-FORTH CONTINUED ON TWITTER, WHERE HE POSTED DISPARAGING REMARKS ABOUT THE PROTESTORS. MCDONELL SAID THIS JUST MADE HER FEEL BETTER ABOUT HER DECISION TO PROTEST. 

KM: I ALSO THINK THAT IN GENERAL PEOPLE WITH HATEFUL IDEOLOGIES VERY MUCH DEFAULT TO WRITING OFF PEOPLE WHO COMBAT HATE AS, LIKE, VIOLENT OR DANGEROUS BECAUSE THE REASON THEY’RE HATEFUL IS BECAUSE THEY’RE AFRAID IS BECAUSE THEY DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT’S GOING ON. THEY DON’T HAVE THE INFORMATION, THEY DON’T HAVE THE ABILITY TO CRACK THEIR OWN IGNORANCE AND THEIR OWN PREJUDICES AND THAT MAKES THEM AFRAID OF OTHERS. AND SO I THINK OVERALL THE, I GUESS SUPPOSED BACKLASH AGAINST THE PROTEST TO ME IS KIND OF, I UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAPPENS. IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT’S OK AND IT’S ALSO VERY ENTERTAINING IN THE SENSE THAT IT MAKES ME FEEL REASSURED IN THE CHOICES I MADE TO, LIKE, ATTEND THE PROTEST BECAUSE, LIKE, WOW, THESE PEOPLE REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT.

THE SENTIMENT FROM THE REST OF THE PROTESTORS WAS SIMILAR. 

[“WE ARE QUEER AND NOT GOING ANYWHERE”]

YOUNG AMERICANS FOR FREEDOM DID NOT RESPOND TO WNUR NEWS’ REQUEST FOR COMMENT. 

FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M JUSTINE FISHER.