[May 8, 2025] Southeastern Legal Foundation (SLF) and Young America’s Foundation (YAF) issued an official letter to the University of North Georgia (UNG) today, calling for a stop of unconstitutional practices limiting the free speech of students. This letter comes after hearing student complaints about UNG’s Title IX and Gender Discrimination policies, which make the use of “he” and “she” by students possible targets for punishment as “sexual harassment” or “gender discrimination” at the school.

SLF and YAF argue in their letter that a college campus is meant to be a “marketplace of ideas” and these vague policies do nothing but cause confusion among students. Why a school would incorporate policies that actively engage in DEI nonsense and add vague transgender specific rules for students during one of the most valuable stages of their lives defies logic and offends the Constitution, the groups say. This is all the more true in a red state like Georgia, which recently enacted the widely-supported Riley Gaines Act protecting women and girls in schools across the state.

SLF argues, “UNG’s policies raise serious First Amendment concerns and leave students who believe in the biological reality that only two sexes exist wondering when and how they will be punished for speaking the truth. Will they be punished for speaking up when a man who ‘identifies’ as a woman undresses in the women’s locker room? Or for using biologically correct pronouns? Or for simply stating that men shouldn’t compete in women’s sports? UNG’s policies are both vague and overbroad, causing students to remain silent. Chilling speech is unconstitutional.”

SLF and YAF also state in their letter that, “Clarifications and revisions to UNG’s current policies addressing Title IX and Gender Discrimination are necessary so students can freely exercise their First Amendment rights to the fullest extent.”

Download press release.