William & Mary "Gets It"

By Jan Wolfe  

            University Presidents have developed a strange knack for lauding the First Amendment even as they dispense with it. That’s why it’s so encouraging to see Gene Nichol, President of The College of William & Mary, match his anti-censorship rhetoric with action.

            According to The Daily Press of Newport News, Virginia, Nichol has permitted students to bring to campus the Sex Workers' Art Show, a sort-of X-rated Vagina Monologues in which strippers, prostitutes, and porn stars apparently rave about how much they love their jobs (much to the dismay of campus feminists of the anti-pornography school, I’m sure).

In a statement, Nichol said the First Amendment and "defining traditions of openness that sustain universities" required he permit the show be held at the college. "My views and the views of others in the community about the worth or offensiveness of the program can provide no basis for censoring it," he said.

That’s refreshing to hear. And even more refreshing to see being put into practice.