Is "freedom of speech" rhetoric often used as a cudgel against women, PoC, and others...

[YoungDemCA]

...who are marginalized by the dominant culture?

Curious as to what posters here think, and what insights people have here.

[HassleCat]

1. Absolutely!

When somebody wants to say something racist or misogynist or wave that damn confederate rag in your face, they always cite the First Amendment. Unfortunately, they are correct in doing so. Our constitution gives them a lot of latitude, a lot of room to be hurtful and mean. The up side is they self-identify, so we know who they are.

[wildeyed]

2. Yes.

They make racist, sexist, homophobic statements, and then when people disagree, they are infringing on their "rights". They seem to think "freedom of speech" means they can say any damn thing they want and no one can disagree

I have also noticed a high level of confusion over the meaning of the word "censorship".

[Bluenorthwest]

3. Obviously the aspect of the 1st Amendment most often weaponized against LGBT is religious freedom

and the effective counter to the rather endless denigration of LGBT that streams out of straight America under the guise of religion has been the press freedoms and other expressive freedoms also covered by the 1st Amendment.

[YoungDemCA]

4. This is an important point.

I would add that "free speech" rhetoric from the privileged is too often, used as a means of shouting down women/feminists, the LGBT community, Black Americans and other Persons of Color, and denying those groups their free speech rights (among other rights and freedoms).

[Bluenorthwest]

5. What I'm saying is that it is the 1st Amendment.

I'm saying that the aspect of the 1st most often used to attack LGBT is religious freedom, which is a just a subset of freedom of expression. The aspect most useful to minorities in fighting such attacks is freedom of the press. Of expression and of speech.

[scubasteve76]

10. true but....

You could put limits on free speech but you'd have to figure out a way to protect the good speech while still punishing the bad speech.

[Number23]

6. Fuck yes. Do a Google search on the number of women that have had to post on social media

or on blogs etc. disguised as men because of the attacks they get the second it is revealed that they are female. Or the number of news sites that have to shut down the comments section every time they do a story on race.

Look at the number of times black female posters on this site are chased after and harassed by people who swear up and down they can't stand us but for reasons only they will ever be able to understand won't LEAVE US THE FUCK ALONE. Even after they have been begged and pleaded endlessly to do so.

The "it's a public board/freedom of speech" stuff always comes up over and over again from the psychotic and the deranged to explain their behavior. It's much more noble to say that than just admit to the world "I'm an over privileged lunatic and I've made it my mission in life to put you in your place, n***** and/or bitch."

[BlueMTexpat]

7. As a woman, I say

Yes.

[VulgarPoet]

8. "I'm not racist/misogynistic/ageist/homophobic, but..."

and then they proceed to say the most reprehensible shit; almost as if begging you to call them out. And then when you do, it's always "Hey, freedom of speech, buddy"-- yeah no, your rights end at my nose, and I reserve the right to call a person out on their fuckery if they've said something outright wrong.

"The right to swing my fist ends where the other man’s nose begins." -- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

[Starry Messenger]

9. Some dominant groups have the power of amplified free speech.

Other views never make it to widespread hearings. Look at the TWIB interviews of Marissa Johnson. Great interviews, right from the source--freedom of speech gets her on the air. But not enough people see it or are willing to listen to it, because it never reaches the commercial airwaves.

Of course people have freedom of speech, but I think people should be aware that some speech is more privileged than others.