Haters reportedly marked the opening of Cleveland State University’s LGBTQ student center last week by posting flyers on campus encouraging LGBTQ students to kill themselves. The graphic shows a person with a rainbow heart and a rope around their neck with the words, “Follow your fellow fa**ots” in multi-colored lettering at the top. The flyers also list incorrect statistics mocking the rate of suicide among LGBTQ people, with Splinter noting the real statistics are actually higher. Outraged CSU students went to school administrators expecting a response in support of LGBTQ students, only to be floored by President Ronald Berkman’s initial response:
The university's president Ronald Berkman called the flyers "reprehensible" but only in a second statement released after his first experienced heavy backlash.
Berkman's initial statement said CSU "remains fully committed to a campus community that respects all individuals" but is also "committed to upholding the First Amendment, even with regard to controversial issues where opinion is divided."
In a follow-up statement, Berkman said he "failed to express" his "personal outrage" over the flyers.
"While I find the message of this poster reprehensible, the current legal framework regarding free speech makes it difficult to prevent these messages from being disseminated," his statement said.
Legally, the free speech argument for the flyers is uncertain but the effects these posters could have on the students attacked by them is obvious, a Lambda Legal attorney told NBC.