Zachary Marschall says Campus Reform is seeing a trend as colleges and universities are moving away from diversity, equity, and inclusion's (DEI) "divisive ideology-based programs."
"LGBT content, programs, [and] initiatives are getting cut," he reports.
At Northwestern, the university removed the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center's webpage earlier this year in compliance with an executive order from President Trump.
Matthew Abtahi, who served as director of the center, says he emailed other employees in April to voice his opposition to what he calls discrimination against the university's LGBTQ+ community.
According to his lawsuit, he was suspended, pending an investigation, the following day, and then he was told he could resign effective May 2, 2025, or he would be fired immediately.
CBS reports Northwestern also rescinded its previous offer to move Abtahi into a different leadership position, deciding he was no longer allowed on the campus.
Marschall sees that as a step in the right direction.
"The university needs to get over it and move past people having issues with the type of leftist programming they're doing on campus," the college news editor suggests. "People need to be allowed to voice their concerns and opposition to any initiatives that impose an ideology or set of fringe beliefs on other people."
He believes this fired staffer's lawsuit just proves that confidence is mounting; people are "standing up for freedom of speech and against universities trying to tell everyone on its campus that they have to think and act a certain way."
Abtahi is suing for wrongful termination and retaliation, among other violations. He is asking for monetary damages, attorneys fees, and to be reinstated into his job in alumni relations or compensated monetarily for that.
