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The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education issued the following news release:
Few campus events seem to draw as much attention -- or interference -- from state legislatures as those related to sex. The most recent controversy on this front comes from Arkansas Tech University, where student organization SPECTRUM plans to host a "Sex on the Lawn" event aiming to educate students about sexual and relationship health, provide HIV testing, and give students a forum to discuss sex in a supportive environment.
On Monday, an advertisement for the event caught the attention of state Rep. Mary Bentley. Noting that the advertisement was posted by, and contained the name of, the Arkansas Tech Department of Diversity and Inclusion, Bentley posed the following question on Facebook: "As State Legislators we hold the 'Purse Strings' of the states [sic] budget. Do you think this is an appropriate use of your tax dollars?"
It is difficult not to read Bentley's post as an implicit threat against Arkansas Tech's funding, and perhaps specifically that of the university's Department of Diversity and Inclusion. One might think that this is an uncharitable reading, but in light of similar controversies elsewhere, it is certainly not unreasonable.
Take Tennessee, for example. Legislators there threatened the University of Tennessee's funding because of its $11,000 support of annual "Sex Week" programming put on by the student group Sexual Empowerment and Awareness at Tennessee. Ultimately, the university pulled funding for the...