Group hosting UI appearance of trans rights foe Matt Walsh claims threats, harassment

Conservative political commentator Matt Walsh, a vocal opponent of transgender rights, is slated to speak at the University of Iowa this month, drawing what the organization hosting him, Young Americans for Freedom at UI, says have been threats against it and harassment.

Who is Matt Walsh?

Walsh hosts the “The Matt Walsh Show” and writes columns for The Daily Wire, a right-wing media company founded by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing. He also is featured in “What is a Woman?” a documentary that purports to explore “the logic behind a gender ideology movement that has taken aim at women and children,” according to the film’s description.

His views on transgender rights are reflected in the titles of recent clips from his show posted on YouTube, including “Trans Activists Only Care About Pronouns, Not Dead Kids” and “Christian Children Murdered by Trans Mass Shooter,” a reference to reports that the person who fatally shot six children and adults at a Nashville, Tennessee, school last month before being killed by police was transgender.

Young Americans for Freedom at UI describes 'intense' backlash

The Young Americans for Freedom chapter at UI, part of the conservative youth outreach organization Young America’s Foundation, is bringing Walsh to campus in collaboration with that group for a program at the Iowa Memorial Union at 7 p.m. April 19. A question-and-answer session with Walsh will follow. A screening of “What is a Woman?” will begin at 4:15 p.m.

John Piaszynski, vice chair of the Young Americans for Freedom at UI, told the Press-Citizen the chapter has received “intense” backlash over the event, including threats, and that posters advertising Walsh's appearance have been torn down.

Piaszynski said the chapter has reported to UI police one of the threats, made near the site of the March 31 International Transgender Day of Visibility rally in Iowa City.

A March 24 tweet by the organization showed an image of a poster for a "Trans Day of Revenge" rally below a torn-down poster for the Walsh event and asked, “Who are they planning on taking revenge on?”

Piaszynski said that based on responses received following that tweet, Young Americans for Freedom at UI believes “some of the anger and possible vengeance” was directed toward it.

The University of Iowa senior said the organization also has been communicating regularly with police to ensure the safety of the Walsh event and has filed complaints with Office of Student Accountability regarding posters being removed.

The university did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The event comes in the wake of Gov. Kim Reynolds' March 22 signing of bills restricting which public school bathrooms transgender students and adults can use banning Iowa doctors from providing gender-affirming care to transgender children.

It also follows bomb threats that forced the evacuation of Coralville's Northwest Junior High School on subsequent days ― threats school officials believe were linked to a barrage of criticism that began when a national anti-LGBTQ Twitter account attacked the school for having the book "This Book is Gay." The Iowa City school district subsequently pulled the book from shelves for what it said would be a review.

Piaszynski said Young Americans for Freedom initially had used Eventbrite, an event management and ticketing website, in connection with Walsh’s upcoming appearance. He shared an email from Eventbrite Trust and Safety last month notifying the organization it had unpublished the event listing, saying it violated “Community Guidelines and Teams of Service, specifically our policy on Hateful, Dangerous, or Violent Content and Events.”

Other appearances by Walsh spark protests

Last October, a sold-out University of Wisconsin-Madison appearance by Walsh sparked extensive vandalism” and protests. Walsh’s appearance at the University of Houston in Texas the same month also was met with protests, KTRK-TV reported.

In March, Walsh in a tweet announced he was postponing a scheduled March 31 speech at Washington & Lee University in Nashville, citing "threats against my family and other serious security concerns" in the city, which had just experienced the school shooting.

But a Walsh appearance at Stanford University earlier in March was protest-free, The Stanford Daily reported.

Piaszynski said 376 tickets have been reserved for the UI event so far.

In 2017, Iowa State University agreed to pay a $12,000 settlement to settle a lawsuit filed by a student there who alleged that university policies on sexual harassment and misconduct were unconstitutional and, among other things, interfered with his efforts to organize an ISU chapter of Young Americans for Freedom.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this article.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at PBarraza@press-citizen.com or 319-519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: UI group sponsoring anti-trans speaker says it has received threats