A group of student activists at Notre Dame recently released an incendiary video alleging that several Catholic organizations on campus are responsible for the deaths of LGBT people nationwide.
Hyperlinked to the word “crowbar” at the end of a poem published in one of Notre Dame’s student newspapers, the video depicts a student reading a list of grievances against Catholic student groups while another destroys a poster in the background with a crowbar.
The poster, titled “There is Queer Blood on Homophobic Hands,” was placed outside the largest classroom building on campus on Setp. 26. It contains articles written by campus journalists in both Notre Dame’s Observer and Irish Rover, and also mentions pro-family group Students for Child Oriented Policy.
Dramatically, the poster’s creators circled the names of the student journalists in something that looks like fake blood. The authors’ supposed crimes? They wrote articles that reflect Catholic doctrine regarding human sexuality.
The Irish Rover publishes thoughtful pieces on campus events, culture, theology, and many other topics. Recently, student journalists reported on the Sohrab Ahmari-David French debate at Notre Dame about conservatism in the era of Trump and alumnus Ryan Anderson’s lecture on the cases concerning Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which take up the issue of whether homosexuality is included in the definition of “sex” for employment discrimination lawsuits, pending before the Supreme Court.
Respected among faculty and students alike, The Rover curates more lengthy articles — a welcome respite to the clickbait culture invading journalism. Students for Child Oriented Policy — a group that hosts events related to Catholic teaching on the family — was also singled out as a target. They recently invited a panel of doctors to campus to discuss transgender medicine and lobbied for a pornography filter on university internet earlier this year.
Both of these groups are known for their respectful commitment to honest dialogue; the exact opposite of which is displayed in the violent video and defamatory poster. Rather than engage the groups they name in conversation, the students chose instead to make baseless allegations accompanied by actions that could reasonably be construed as threats.
The university has yet to respond to the incendiary video, despite the fact that it might violate Indiana’s “intimidation law,” which makes it a crime to incite violence or to take action intended to expose a person to “hatred, contempt, disgrace, or ridicule.” If the university takes no action, members of targeted groups may explore legal options.
Kate Hardiman is a contributor to the Washington Examiner‘s Beltway Confidential blog. She taught high school in Chicago for two years while earning her M.Ed. and is now a J.D. candidate at Georgetown University Law Center.
