Ron DeSantis' College Invites Transgender Woman to Speak: 'An Honor'

newsweek.com:

tiny liberal arts school that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is seeking to transform into a conservative-leaning school invited a transgender woman to speak at the campus.The New College of Florida asked independent journalist Erin Reed to participate as a guest speaker for a public policy debate that is being hosted by the school as part of a new initiative.

The invite states that there would be, at a minimum, one speaker "on each side" of the topic "gender is a social construct." The discussion would also be moderated."It would be our honor to welcome you to our campus," the invitation, which Reed shared on X, formerly Twitter, reads.Reed told Newsweek that while she has debated those with opposing views in the past—including conservative activist Chris Rufo, who was appointed by DeSantis to the board of trustees of New College of Florida—she has no plans to attend the campus debate.DeSantis, who has used the nation's culture wars to revamp Florida's education policies, made several bold and drastic changes to the New College of Florida earlier this year, including the appointment of six new conservative trustees whom the governor hopes will turn the college into a "Hillsdale of the South"—a reference to the conservative Christian liberal arts college in Michigan.Among those trustees is Rufo, a vocal opponent to the discussion of LGBTQ+ topics, as well as critical race theory, in schools.The New College of Florida has long been celebrated for its unique educational approach and has repeatedly been ranked among the most "gay-friendly" campuses in the country.

But because the Sarasota college is also a public school, it has been subject to the influence of DeSantis' anti-LGBTQ+ policies."I think there are good and bad forums for [debating]," Reed said. "Given what we know about New College of Florida and how it has been transformed to suit the political will of Ron DeSantis, how entire majors have been shut down and teachers forced out, and how they are actively.