A leading conservative organization is demanding a public apology from George Mason University — a large public research university in Virginia — after one of its staffers called conservatives “worthless trash.”
Young Women for America’s (YWA) Chapter President Veronica Hays, who is a sophomore at GMU, is sending a letter on Thursday to the President of GMU and also to the admissions officer, demanding an apology after the university’s staffer called conservatives “worthless trash” in a Facebook post last month.
As Breitbart News’s legal editor Ken Klukowski previously noted, the Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at GMU Andrew Bunting posted on Facebook:
Read article. NOM, a recognized HATE GROUP by the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not representative of the key pillars of American society. They seek to limit life. Limit liberty. Limit Freedom. Limit the pursuit of happiness for million of American [sic]. If you agree with them then that is your opinion. Just know that to the rest of us, you are a piece of worthless trash.
According to Klukowski:
This article Bunting referenced was from the blog of NOM: the National Organization for Marriage. NOM’s president is a devout Roman Catholic, and the organization is staffed by individuals who share a deeply religious belief that marriage is between one man and one woman.
Bunting is citing material from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), an ultra-left anti-Christian organization that has labeled dozens of conservative organizations as “hate groups,” including faith-based groups like the Family Research Council (FRC), immigration groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), and various Tea Party groups.
YWA is part of Concerned Women for America (CWA), America’s largest public policy organization for women that focuses on Biblical principles.
Hay’s letter demands a public apology from Bunting, reading in part:
As the Young Women for America (YWA) President of a newly-forming YWA Chapter on the campus and a sophomore at George Mason University, not to mention a pro-marriage, pro-life, Christ-following, tax and tuition-paying conservative student, I demand a public apology for your post shaming conservatives by using harsh language and calling us “worthless trash.”
…
I respect your liberty as a free citizen of the United States to express yourself. But quite frankly, I was incredibly disappointed that an Admissions Officer for GMU would post such disrespectful comments, especially when our campus supposedly welcomes differing viewpoints and is home to thousands of conservative individuals. As a conservative student who believes in the Biblical design for marriage and sexuality, based not only on what God has said is best but also what research has said, I disagree with your comments, and I should not be shamed for my beliefs. Posts like yours only spread more animosity as you seek to stifle the beliefs of others by deeming them bigoted, while at the same time making intolerant statements.
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I hope that you keep in mind as well that those opinions which you expressed directly insult those individuals, I myself included, who are a part of Catholic Campus Ministry, the largest student organization here at George Mason. With that, I join with numerous fellow conservative peers in demanding a formal public apology, and I trust I’ll hear from you soon. I have notified President Cabrera of our request to you and have asked that action be taken if you do not respond.
“I really hope I do get a response,” Hays told Breitbart News on Thursday afternoon before delivering her letter to the school’s administration. “I hope that they recognize that this is a serious issue and that they do take action. I think it’s best that there is a public apology on the part of Admissions Officer Bunting and I would hope that President Cabrera would see that is appropriate and necessary and if not, I think other actions should be taken.”
Concerned Women for America’s President and CEO Penny Nance told Breitbart News she proudly stands by Hays.
“Concerned Women for America stands proudly alongside our Young Women for America chapter presidents as they fight left-wing bullying on campuses all around this nation,” Nance stated. “This last election should serve as notice that we are tired of their intolerance and no longer willing to suffer in silence.”
Breitbart News also learned the Virginia Speaker of the House reached out to GMU about the issue and many legislators are expressing strong displeasure to GMU after the incident.
Breitbart News contacted GMU for comment, but has not yet received a response. However, GMU previously issued a public statement saying the opinion of its staffer did not represent the university.
“Recently, a George Mason admissions employee made political comments on a private social media account, which were later shared publicly by a media website. The views expressed by the employee were his own personal views, not the views of the university,” the statement reads in part.
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