University to Pay $25,000 Settlement to Pro-Life Students for Denying Them Free Speech

Ben Johnson : Mar 4, 2014
LifeSiteNews.com

After allowing a pro-LGBT event to proceed on campus, Oklahoma State University made the mistake of not giving the same freedom to a campus pro-life group.

(Oklahoma City, OK)—Oklahoma State University has agreed to pay $25,000 to settle a lawsuit accusing the public university of denying pro-life students their First Amendment rights. (Photo via LSN)

The group Cowboys for Life (CFL) asked the university for permission to erect a pro-life display in a highly trafficked area of campus in October 2012. The university turned them down, allegedly because attracting students to walk through the grass to the display would damage "the declining condition" of the school's lawns. But Cowboys for Life pointed out that the school had approved other displays in the same area.

University officials later permitted a smaller display featuring photos of abortion victims, but OSU Director of Campus Life Kent Sampson said the group had to erect signs 30 feet on either side warning of "graphic" content. They did not require that of the Sexual Orientation Diversity Association's pro-LGBT event.

The campus has no policy regarding "graphic images."