During her presentation, Lorey referred to trans women athletes as “men.” Library staff intervened.
“We don’t want any transgender females being called male in sporting events with females,” a library official had said. “If that happens, it’s not following our code of conduct and we will ask the person who says it to leave immediately.”
The conservative Christian group, Alliance Defending Freedom, and the nonpartisan Institute for Free Speech, filed a lawsuit in December on behalf of the Yolo County Moms for Liberty chapter and the California Family Council, alleging county library staff violated their First Amendment rights to free speech.
Yolo County staff “are not required to agree with plaintiffs’ views about protecting women’s sports,” the lawsuit read. “The First Amendment, however, requires that (they) allow plaintiffs to speak freely about the integrity of female athletics in library meeting rooms.”
County officials agreed to pay $70,000 in damages, as well as legal fees. They also changed their policies to indicate that staff “shall not interfere with presentations or other speech by individuals or groups that have reserved meeting rooms based on the content of such speech, and to instruct staff to “curtail any disruptive behavior” during such events. They also agreed to host another forum on the same topic, which they did April 13. The groups described the April forum as “successful” and “without incident” in a news release about the settlement.
“Shutting down discussions about biological differences between men and women is, sadly, a growing trend among activists seeking to erase women and harm children,” said Tyson Langhofer, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom. “While they should never have shut down the event, Yolo County library officials are right to change course and enact policies that align with the First Amendment.”
“I simply acknowledged that men are playing in women’s sports, making it harder for girls to achieve their dreams,” Lorey said Tuesday in response to the settlement. “Yet, I was interrupted and forbidden from continuing to share my personal experience as a collegiate soccer player at Vanguard University.
“I am grateful that Yolo County has now agreed to respect the right of all Americans to share their views in public spaces without fear of being silenced or censored.”
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