Texas Values Testifies at Senate Hearing on Free Speech at College Campuses

On Wednesday, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee held an interim hearing on free speech rights on college campuses and how new policy changes could further protect student’s First Amendment rights.

Texas Values President Jonathan Saenz testified at the hearing and recounted when the University of Houston barred the free speech of a pro-life group he was leading while in law school. Jonathan shared how he risked his career and successfully sued the university to keep the group on campus. The success also led to a student deciding not to go through with an abortion and she kept her child.

Jonathan was joined on the panel by Alliance Defending Freedom’s Senior Counsel Tyson Langhofer along with David Shepherd, the President of the Lone Star College-CyFair’s Young Conservatives of Texas.

David and Young Conservatives of Texas filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against Lone Star College-CyFair after the group was ““derecognized by an official of a university after the group posted a video online of an abortion debate that it sponsored with the school’s permission. The official then resigned as the club’s advisor because he said that the club didn’t obtain his permission to post the video. He also said the club’s mission didn’t align with the mission of the college.” Read more about the case here.

It is critically important that Texas lead the fight to protect the free speech of all Texas, including our students on college campuses