ACLU Will Defend Milo Yiannopoulos’ Right To Free Speech

[Tennesseer]

ACLU Will Defend Milo Yiannopoulos’ Right To Free Speech
The civil rights group will take D.C.’s transit to task after the conservative author’s ads were removed.

Milo Yiannopoulos got some unexpected support this week from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The former Breitbart news editor and internet troll released a self-published memoir, Dangerous, last month to mostly negative reviews. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the ACLU argued that the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority violated Yiannopoulos’ right to free speech when it refused to let him promote the book ― which has been described as “desperate” and “largely boring” ― on the Washington, D.C., metro. (As it turns out, the New York subway didn’t have similar qualms.)

The British-born Yiannopoulos is among several clients ― including abortion and birth control provider Carafem and the animal advocacy group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ― named in the ACLU’s lawsuit, according to the Los Angeles Times. The suit stems from WMATA guidelines that forbid advertisements “intended to influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions,” which the ACLU believes is too vague. Given Yiannopoulos’ history of mocking Muslims, feminists, the LGBTQ community and the Black Lives Matter movement, however, the conservative author’s inclusion in the suit sparked instant controversy.

Acknowledging that 32-year-old Yiannopoulos “trades on outrage,” ACLU officials nonetheless explained their choice to defend him in a Wednesday blog post on the group’s official website. “The ACLU condemns many of the values he espouses (and he, of course, condemns many of the values the ACLU espouses),” they wrote.

Complete article here: ACLU Will Defend Milo Yiannopoulos’ Right To Free Speech

[Opti]

Ads have been removed over the years because of people's outrage. Why does the ACLU think this time is notable?

[Tennesseer]

Aug 10, 2017 15:51:41 GMT -5 Opti said:

Ads have been removed over the years because of people's outrage. Why does the ACLU think this time is notable?

Here is the ACLU's rationale.

ACLU: How Could You Represent Someone Like Milo Yiannopoulos?

[Opti]

Aug 10, 2017 15:56:35 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Aug 10, 2017 15:51:41 GMT -5 Opti said:

Ads have been removed over the years because of people's outrage. Why does the ACLU think this time is notable?

Here is the ACLU's rationale.

ACLU: How Could You Represent Someone Like Milo Yiannopoulos?

I'm not sure I get it. I think they are commenting on a government policy and using this guy to do so. From that URL-

The case we filed today is a good illustration of what we mean. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, a government agency, prohibits any advertisements on its trains or buses that attempt to “influence members of the public regarding an issue on which there are varying opinions.” Enforcing that rule, the WMATA told the ACLU that we couldn’t put up ads that show the text of the First Amendment (yes, really) in English, Spanish, and Arabic. It also refused ads from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urging people not to eat meat and another one from Carafem, a non-profit that provides abortion care and family planning services. In Mr. Yiannopoulos’ case, it pulled ads for his book from its trains after passengers complained.