Rainbows and vaginas

There are a number of conservative groups out there these days condemning colleges and universities as liberal indoctrination centers. These folks run around campus in the name of intellectual diversity with martyr-like expressions committed to exposing every professor as a liberal hippie. I enjoy their imperviousness to the irony: they get all sorts of attention in the press and on campus for their views while complaining that no one respects their views. Many of these same activists will also complain about the moral decline of America and the need for stronger moral standards without batting an intellectual eye.

I wish to thank them for one thing. Free speech depends upon the willingness of nutjobs like them believing so strongly in something so dumb that they’re willing to talk about it nonstop. It’s those warriors tilting against liberal indoctrination like Don Quixote against his windmills that keeps free speech alive for two very real and very important causes that recently hit the news.

Rainbow sashes
It is now apparently a mortal sin to wear a rainbow sash to a Catholic Church. Several dozen Catholics bravely wore rainbow to mass on Sunday in support of GLBT members of the church, and were summarily denied communion. According to church law, only those in a state of mortal sin shall be denied communion, something apparently attainable by sash these days.

Vagina t-shirts
One would think an educational institution would be more intellectually open than the church, but Winona High School in Minnesota begs to differ. A young woman, touched by the open and frank nature of the play The Vagina Monologues wore a t-shirt to school that said, “I [heart] My Vagina.” Ignoring a perfect opportunity to address America's deep-seated sexual taboos, school administrators first threatened and then did send the girl home. Given that the vast majority of sexual education seems to come from television, movies, and pop culture, you'd think some savvy educators might like to fight back a bit. Or not.