Pro-Life Incident at UC Santa Barbara

Feminist Studies Professor Mireille Miller-Young

"Three degrees"


On March 4, two sisters, aged 21 and 16, were participating at a pro-life demonstration at UC Santa Barbara with pro-life signs. At this point, according to the report, UCSB Professor Mireille Miller-Young came over, mocked the sisters, led others on a chant of,  "Take Down the Sign", then allegedly grabbed the sign and marched off with it as the girls tried to get it back. Fox News has the report and a cell phone video.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/13/teen-abortion-protester-defiant-after-alleged-attack-by-feminist-professor/

Here is Professor Miller-Young's UCSB Bio page at the Department of Feminist Studies:

http://www.femst.ucsb.edu/people/academic/mireille-miller-young

Three degrees, indeed.

Area of Emphasis:

black cultural studies

pornography and sex work

Fousesquawk comment:

To be fair, the cell phone video begins after the sign was reportedly taken away, and the elevator shoving incident is not conclusive as to initiated contact.  However, if the girls' account is accurate, I ask what the hell is a professor doing mocking young girls because they are against abortion and taking their sign? Whatever happened to  free speech? What right did the professor have in taking someone else's property? It was not drugs she was allegedly "confiscating" It was not a gun or some prohibited form  of contraband. It was a sign, something that is constitutionally protected. As I always say, look tote side that tries to take away the other side's right of free speech.

I will also admit that sometimes tempers flare when these emotional issues arise on campus. As a campus activist, I have been in a few angry exchanges myself, which are regrettable.  However, a teacher at a university has to use extreme care not to engage with students (or in this case younger non-students of the above ages) in an angry or confrontational way. (You can stand your ground if a student gets too aggressive, but what is alleged here is something a teacher or professor should avoid.)    

And a  Department of Feminist Studies at UC Santa Barbara? C'mon! In a university system that claims to be in a budget crunch, how do you justify this kind of department? Pornography? Sex Work?

The UCSB campus paper is running a letter from a student objecting to graphic pictures on pro-life posters that appear on campus. I left a comment in the reader thread suggesting that they switch to posters showing the stork flying away with the baby. 

At any rate, this story bears following. It seems to be going viral in the conservative blogoshere.