But don’t expect other universities to follow suit. “Administrators at the University of Kansas took down a controversial work of art—an American flag covered in black ink—after the state’s Republican governor and secretary of state demanded action,” Robby Soave reported on Reason.com.
“The disrespectful display of a desecrated American flag on the KU campus is absolutely unacceptable,” Gov. Jeff Colyer stated. “Men and women have fought and died for that flag and to use it in this manner is beyond disrespectful.”
“I spoke to leadership to demand that it be taken down immediately.” And they did.
“Over the course of the day, the conversation around this display has generated public safety concerns for our campus community,” KU’s chancellor said. “While we want to foster difficult dialogue, we cannot allow that dialogue to put our people or property in harm’s way.”
“We have begun the process of relocating the exhibit to the Spencer Museum of Art, where we can continue the important conversation it has generated.”
Soave archly noted, “That’s right: The university invoked public safety as an excuse to remove a work of art that offended conservatives.” Soave is against the university’s move, as is the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE).
