A New "Porn Policy" Violates Our Freedom of Speech

Story by Lucy Farmer
Fused staff writer

Last March a "XXX" film titled "Pirates II; Stagnetti's Revenge" was shown on the University of Maryland campus. As soon as the University received word of the screening, Maryland state senator Andy Harris was notified. He threatened to withhold funds from the school if similar screenings continued. Harris asked the state Board of Regents to create a policy that would require any screening on campus to have an educational component.
The students had an opportunity to give their opinion on the matter on October 13, at a forum held by the Student Government Association, or SGA. The SGA president and a member of the Board of Regents listened to concerned students and answered their questions. The School's Board of Regents plans to vote on a new "porn policy" this month, restricting these kinds of un-educational films to be shown on campus.
The students are concerned by what could happen if state legislature becomes involved in what forms of speech are or are not allowed on their campus. The government is threatening to take money away from the school, attempting to restrict the viewing rights of legal adults. This could be seen as a small and seemingly insignificant action taken to protect the reputation of the university, when in reality this new policy is a violation of one our basic and inalienable rights. The subject matter of the film is ultimately irrelevant. It is legal for students 18 and older to view the film. If we allow the government to violate these rights, even infinitesimally, we are sending the message that we won't fight these kinds of decisions.
Our first amendment rights are granted without question, but what good are inviolable rights if you don't utilize them? You may spend thousands of dollars on a new weight-lifting machine, but you don't get any stronger until you pick up the weight and begin to work at it. We can't be oblivious to the rights that we are granted. We have to acknowledge these rights and exercise them or they will disappear. As soon as we succumb to this kind of government involvement, we lose our basic freedoms.