The Campus Fix reports that Texas just criminalized sex jokes on campus.
The Texas State government will now use criminal law to enforce Obama-era definitions of campus sexual harassment, which are unconstitutional to boot.
Civil-liberties group like FIRE and the Campus Fix warned Texas Governor Greg Abbott about signing these Obama-era provisions into law.
The campus watchdog argues that the practical effect of this new law “effect will be scaring faculty and other university employees into reporting any “sex-based” conduct or speech that may be “unwelcome” to someone at their campus. That includes overheard sex jokes.”
The legislation in question, SB 212, threatens to fire and hand out six month jail sentences to any campus employee who “witnesses or receives information”— hearsay essentially— about activities that count as sexual harassment under these broad definitions, and fails to report it to Title IX authorities.
Title IX offices will likely be flooded with sexual harassment accusations. Such anti-free speech legislation will guarantee that students will be placed under arbitrary investigations for constitutionally protected speech.
Abbott signed SB 212 and a similar bill, HB 1735, which uses the same definition of sexual harassment and undermines the due process rights of accused students.
The 2019 legislative session has been a mixed bag for Texas.
Although Governor Abbott signed bills that de-regulated the use of lemonade stands and legalized brass knuckles, his government has dropped the ball on fundamental issues like gun rights (Constitutional Carry) and now free speech.
Let’s hope that the 2021 legislative session turns out better for liberty-lovers in Texas.
