Young America’s Foundation (YAF) won a significant free speech victory after challenging the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, for requiring student groups to sign a “Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity” (DEI) statement. To be recognized as an official, on campus group, the UW La Crosse Student Association required student groups to include support for the DEI declaration in their organizational by-laws.

The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) partnered with the Mountain States Legal Foundation (MSLF) to challenge the DEI requirement, which they said “opposes YAF’s values” and violated their First Amendment rights.

YAF, a conservative student organization, is active on more than 2,000 high school and college campuses. In March 2021, the UW La Crosse Student Association passed a resolution mandating the inclusion of this paragraph in the bylaws of all student organizations:

“The University of Wisconsin, La Crosse recognizes and values the diverse identities, backgrounds, and beliefs of our faculty and of the University of Wisconsin — La Crosse student body.

“Our definition of diversity includes, but is not limited to ability, age, class, documentation status, gender identity, language, military status, nationality, race, religion, and sexual orientation. We are committed to providing and promoting an environment free of prejudice by addressing issues of equity and justice in our community, and we support the success of marginalized identities.”

Even casual observers of the Harvard University leadership debacle this past month have been mortified by the startling series of events leading up to yesterday’s resignation of its president, Claudine Gay.

Gay, who only became president on July 1 of this year, will be replaced by Harvard Provost Alan Garber, who has agreed to serve as interim president until a permanent replacement is installed.

The firestorm erupted back on December 5 when the now former Ivy League head, testifying before a congressional committee, initially refused to denounce the genocide of Jewish people.

Shockingly, administration and students stood by her, but it seems her fate was sealed after dozens of plagiarism charges surfaced the last few weeks.

Writing to members of the Harvard community, Gay acknowledged that “after consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”

Yet in a sign that neither Gay nor Harvard leadership seems to understand just how damaging her ideology or behavior has been to the institution’s credibility and reputation, the now former president will remain at the school as a member of the faculty.

The deterioration of Harvard hasn’t come overnight, nor is it a surprise to anyone who has followed the school over the years.

The New York Times unveiled an investigation last week acknowledging the “pattern of rape, mutilation and extreme brutality against women” in Hamas’ attack on Israel.

The piece unflinchingly describes the horror of Hamas’ actions, including eyewitness accounts of women being gang-raped, mutilated, and killed by Hamas soldiers.

The Times should be commended for highlighting Hamas’ brutality — but why did it take so long?

While the story includes original interviews and details, it largely echoes evidence documented by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) as early as October 8 and eyewitness testimony brought before the United Nations in December.

The authors repeatedly note the Times “independently verified” evidence of Hamas’ sexual brutality, seeming to suggest the paper required extra time to check the story’s facts before publishing it.

One might wish it’d taken the same care on October 17 when it erroneously reported that Israel had bombed a hospital in Gaza.

Apparently deeming the event “breaking news,” the Times’ story heavily relied on Hamas’ accusation that Israel had struck the hospital — with no independent verification.

But Hamas had lied.

U.S authorities quickly confirmed that a misfired Palestinian rocket had caused the blast, rather than an Israeli bomb.

Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine vetoed an important bill that would have protected children from damaging transgender medical interventions and saved girls and women’s sports in the Buckeye State.

The legislation (HB 68), titled the “Saving Ohio Adolescents from Experimentation Act,” (SAFE ACT) would have prohibited physicians from prescribing puberty blocking drugs and opposite sex hormones for minors and from performing “gender reassignment surgeries” on them.

The SAFE Act also would have protected girls and women’s sports by mandating that each school designate separate teams for men and women.

It’s important to note that gender cannot be “reassigned” — even with drugs or surgeries. Transgender medical interventions can make someone appear more like the opposite sex.

But everyone’s sex is an innate biological trait; it cannot be changed nor reassigned.

The Ohio Senate overwhelming approved HB 68 in a 24-8 vote on December 13, 2023. The Ohio House of Representatives subsequently passed the bill on the same day by a wide margin in a 62-27 vote.

Yet Gov. DeWine vetoed the bill on December 29. In a press conference announcing his decision, the governor said that he vetoed the bill to “protect human life.”

“Many parents have told me that their child would be dead today if they had not received the treatment they received from an Ohio hospital,” Gov. DeWine said.