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The Daily Aztec
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April 26, 2022 - May 4, 2022 EDITOR: Katelynn Robinson • news@thedailyaztec.com
Anti-abortion group’s two-day display initiates counter protest on campus by Gabriel Schneider STAFF WRITER
Monday morning students walking by Hepner Hall were greeted by an antiabortion group. Ella Bast, an undeclared freshman at San Diego State was handed a pamphlet and threw it away after she saw what was inside. She said it was hard to see the images and what the group was saying went against her beliefs but understood it is a public campus. By 12:30 p.m., the Project Truth group had grown in number and had set up large signs with depictions of dismembered fetuses. Students started to gather to counterprotest the group. “There are people here with a bunch of different opinions, and I understand that everyone needs to be heard,” Bast said. “I am just unsettled by it and the fact that it’s here.” William Wilberforce, a member of the anti-abortion group with Project Truth, has been doing this for 15 years. “We go to all the colleges’ campuses and present the view that an abortion
is an act of violence that kills a baby,” Wilberforce said.“The pictures paint a thousand words so we found (the signs) to be very effective.” Sophie Scholl, another member of Project Truth, said many people do not actually know the process and full information about abortions. They wanted to show the injustices of abortion and offer resources to students. Scholl said they were open to conversations and debates but had mixed reactions from students. “We always encourage civil dialogue,” Scholl said. “That is what makes America so great is having differing views and talking about it reasonably.” Sydney Hoke, an SDSU student, chose to return at the end of one of her classes after passing by and seeing the signs, to ask them questions. “They responded with the same stuff that’s found in their pamphlet, there wasn’t much clarity just pushing the agenda of pro-birth,” Sydney Hoke. “It’s really disappointing to see them here, and I wish they would leave.”
Photo by Katelynn Robinson
Some students participated in discussions with the anti-abortion group, others took to the pavement with chalk and drew pro-choice imagery.
Photo by Gabriel Schneider
The anti-abortion group obtained permits from the university for their graphic display in front of Hepner Hall.
Mechanical engineering fourth year Aldo Rojas said he was frustrated with how the campus was handling the situation. “I think the campus should be the first line of defense,” Rojas said. “They should recognize that this could be a very traumatic thing for students on campus to witness and hear about.” “This isn’t a matter of free speech,” Rojas said. “These people are trying to harm students emotionally.” The university said it is ready to provide support to students in regards to the graphic images on the signs. “The organization did not initially submit a request through the system and, after being informed to do so, submitted the request and met the requirements per university policy (see the Building & Grounds Regulations) and was, therefore, permitted for a designated space,” the university said, in an email. “In an effort to support freedom of speech on campus, the university legally cannot consider the content of an activity or speaker in its review or permitting processes.” Wilberforce said he gets different responses from students and staff at each different campus, but some appreciate the opportunity for civil discourse.
“A lot of students here are in an echo chamber. We are here to disrupt the echo chamber,” Wilberforce said. “We are here to say, hey guys there is more to life than what you are being spoon-fed.” Randi McKenzie, an emerita assistant dean at SDSU, was walking to a meeting when a student on the counterprotest side called out to her. “I think it is important as an educational institution to share different perspectives on given issues,” McKenzie said. “If one side of a debate is there, it is very positive to have an alternative side that is what free speech is all about.” She said it was the right of the group to choose to come to a public institution to share their opinions and it’s the right for students to share theirs as well. “I always love to see our students engaged,” McKenzie said. “I love that they are participating in political issues and raising debate.” Kiarra Mapp, political science major, and president of Turning Point USA at SDSU, was at the second day of protests. She said she felt compelled to join the anti-abortion group after one of her classes and stayed for over two hours. “We have three groups of people with us here today we have the pro-life, the SEE ANTI-ABORTION GROUP, PAGE 3
Students react to Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill by Nicholas STAFF WRITER
Neikon Ebadat
Starting July 1, the controversial “Parental Rights in Education” bill will prohibit classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity for kindergarten through third-grade Florida students and will require “age appropriate” instruction after third grade, according to Florida’s government. In a Public Opinion Strategies poll, a sample of 1000 Americans demonstrated 61% of registered voters support the actual language of the bill. Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard reportedly sides with the bill, against others in the party, suggesting it be expanded to “protect” children through 12th grade or not at all. Sarah Buttress is a sophomore at
San Diego State majoring in Public Health and identifies as bisexual. She recounted instances when she heard of parents saying homosexuality is something they don’t want their child to see that are connected to the bill’s origin in her opinion. “I think that’s where the root of it bothers me. If we don’t want to talk about sexuality or gender orientation at all, that is incredibly general and it just doesn’t work like that,” Buttress said. “To people who say that it isn’t targeting anyone and they just don’t want any sexual talk whatsoever: Great. Don’t show a movie where straight people kiss then.” The bill has become infamous as critics dubbed it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Two LGBTQ advocacy groups filed a lawsuit stating it negatively impacts an already marginalized community by forcing them to look
for support only at home, rather than having multiple avenues of affirming care. They contend with the state education law by pointing to data showing lower rates of LGBTQ+ suicide attempts with more supportive spaces. SDSU freshman, Kylee Kyte, majors in Social Work and identifies as queer. She said she was aware homophobia still exists, but was hopeful to be past the point of it being in legislation before the bill was signed. “We had the Supreme Court case that protected trans individuals in the workplace, and so after that happened I said ‘okay, we’re going to start seeing a flood of legislation and a flood of systemic changes that would be good for the LGBTQ community,’ but then this bill happened and I was like ‘oh no, we’re still in the middle of all this,’”
Kyte said. In response to the policy, Florida teachers began to take the vague wording of the bill literally by removing any reference to gender or sexual orientation from the classroom by threatening to use only they/them pronouns for students and asking to be called “Mx” rather than Mr/Mrs. They also stated they will be removing any material with reference to a mother or father and will not speak of their spouse as husband/wife in the classroom. “I think there should be a double standard, but I also just think I’m not really sure what we are trying to ban from classrooms if there was a double standard,” Buttress said. “I can’t even remember a time in second or third grade where I looked back and said ‘that was really inappropriate to learn about.’”
