*Editor’s note: Due to various reasons, our source information was incorrect. The event did happen and we are working on a revision for this article for Nov. 10th. We apologize for not realizing our mistake sooner.

Lydia Glenn

Contributing Writer

Milo Yiannopoulos who is an alt-right, alt-lite political commentator was invited to Penn State University Park by a student organization calling themselves “Uncensored America.” 

Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak on November 3rd, but, due to “contractual disagreements,” he cancelled on speaking at Penn State. 

While Yiannopoulos will not be appearing to speak upon topics like “free speech” and “political correctness,” the initial invitation sent out for him to speak is still under question by many Penn State students and faculty. 

University leaders at Penn State have spoken out about the decision for the student organization to invite Yiannopoulos and said this, “his past presentations on the nation’s college campuses have been antithetical to Penn State’s values, and we share the profound dismay others have already expressed in response to his forthcoming appearance.” 

While Penn State leaders were obviously shocked at the decision, they were not able to shut down Yiannopoulos’ appearance or condemn the student organization. Penn State is a public university and has no right to stop the organization. If Penn State were to shut down the event, Uncensored America – the student organization – would be denied their undeniable constitutional rights.

So as a public university, Penn State has no right to impose censorship on students and organizations even if the university’s viewpoints are strongly opposed to it. 

In an article released by the university, information was given about Yiannopoulos and his “profession.” It stated that he is “at his core, a social provocateur – a personality whose central public purpose is to deliberately create controversy, hurt, and disruption.”

With this information at hand, Penn State also informs that students and faculty should not be baited into reacting to the event, or to Yiannopoulos’ comments if the event was still to take place. 

As said before, Yiannopoulos’ main goal is to provoke his audience and create division and hate. Yiannopoulos is described as a “cultural libertarian” and a “free speech fundamentalist.” He openly opposes feminism, Islam, social justice, and political correctness. Besides this, he is known to speak out against the LGBTQ+ community and make disparaging comments as well. 

Along with his controversial and oppositional stances, Yiannopoulos is also an author and editor, and has gone on several tours promoting his beliefs and his books. His 2015 college tour called “The Dangerous Faggot Tour” faced backlash and protests from universities like Rutgers, the University of Minnesota, DePaul, and University of California, Los Angeles. 

One of his latest works titled, “How to be Straight” is a whole book advocating for “the most brutally repressed minority on the planet – straight people.” While he is not straight, his book centers around how straight people can feel pride in themselves. 

The most recent book Yiannopoulos has published is called “The Trial of Roger Stone” which is “an eyewitness account of Stone’s trial and his decades-long career of political chicanery.” 

“It’s a warning of what can happen when politics infects our justice system.” Right-wing Fox news anchor Tucker Carlson said.

Needless to say, Yiannopoulos is a right-wing commentator and refers to himself as a “heterosexual sympathizer,” which does not fit with Penn State or its beliefs. Penn State prides itself on inclusivity, and he stands to create and promote hate speech and division between communities.

Yiannopoulos, while set to appear at Penn State, will not be coming due to disagreements between him and university policies. According to college Republicans President, Michael Straw, the event was cancelled because Yiannopoulos wanted ticket sales to be available to anyone. Since the event was being partially funded by University Park Allocation Committee, tickets would have been first sold to faculty and students, which caused him to cancel.

Straw released a statement regarding the cancellation stating, “I am not going to stop an event because of protestors. We canceled it because of contractual issues and logistics.”