Just over a year ago, students at Portland State University pushed the boundaries of free speech on campus: Students joined a nationwide movement across campuses calling for an end to the war in Gaza; they set up camps on the park blocks, demonstrated outside campus buildings and occupied the university’s library for days.

Now, tolerance for conservative speech will be tested at the left-leaning campus in downtown Portland, as an outspoken former athlete is set to speak at the university.

Former nationally-ranked women’s swimmer and anti-trans activist, Riley Gaines, is scheduled to appear at a speaking engagement at PSU’s Smith Memorial Student Union on Monday evening.

The event is part of a national speaking tour at 10 colleges dubbed “The Fight is Far from Over” hosted by the Leadership Institute, a nonprofit that recruits and trains conservative leaders.

Gaines is known for pushing against policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s and men’s sports competitions.

She first came into prominence in 2022, after tying for fifth place in a NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving championship with an athlete who openly identified as a transgender woman.

Gaines’ chief complaint claimed that the athlete, Lia Thomas from the University of Pennsylvania, had an unfair advantage in the sport. At the time, Thomas had met the NCAA’s requirements to participate in women’s competitions.

This incident was brought to the forefront again this week, when the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights mentioned Gaines by name when it announced Penn had violated Title IX “by denying women equal opportunities by permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities.”

In February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order threatening to withhold federal funding from institutions that allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports.

Monday’s event reopens the conflict of how to navigate free speech in a campus community that’s known for its liberal activism.

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Free speech versus trans rights

PSU students affiliated with the conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA helped organize Gaines’ appearance on campus. Student organizers declined to answer questions about the event, responding they had already chosen reporters to cover it.

Turning Point USA at Portland State University is working toward becoming an official club at the university. PSU student Aviva Zelkind, leader of the burgeoning group, did not return requests for comment.

But Zelkind, who ran unsuccessfully for president of Associated Students of Portland State University this spring, did address concerns about the Gaines visit in a student-run debate.

“Bringing Riley Gaines to this campus gives a voice to every student, not just trans, cishet, straight or queer people,” Zelkind said at the April 25 forum.

“I think the great thing about America and the great thing about our campus is that we can invite any speaker [to talk.] We can all listen, disagree, agree, have a great time and go home and talk about it.”

A coalition of official and unofficial PSU student groups are planning to protest the talk. Portland State University Students for a Democratic Society, an unofficial student group, accused the university of platforming transphobia.

“We are steadfast in our support of trans students and community members and will continue to fight transphobia wherever it pops up in our community,” a spokesperson with PSU-SDS said in a statement.

“We do not intend to stay silent in this time of increasing attacks on trans people, we intend to take the battle head on to defend trans rights, both on campus and in our community.”

The university maintains that it supports the debate of differing ideas on campus.

“PSU is a public institution that supports free speech and free expression, even when the views expressed run counter to the beliefs and values held by many individuals in our community,” said a Portland State spokesperson in a statement. “We can regulate the ‘time, place, and manner of speech but not the content.”

Federal challenge to PSU

The event comes at a sensitive time for Portland State: The university is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for two separate Title VI civil rights cases.

The first case, launched last summer, is over an incident involving repeated postings of Islamophobic flyers inside a campus building. The second, brought by the Education Department in February, accuses the university of antisemitism.

Gabe Pace, a sophomore at PSU who’s helping plan the Monday action against the Gaines visit, said it’s important for him to stand up for his values at this moment.

“When you don’t say anything, you give others a license to say, ‘No one stopped us, therefore we have the right to do whatever we want,’” Pace said. “I mean, that’s what we see in the United States presidency right now.”

Pace said the protest will counter Gaines’ rhetoric by emphasizing transgender joy in the Portland State community.

Other campus groups have planned events at the same time Gaines is scheduled to talk. The groups intend to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities in activities such as a Pride volleyball tournament hosted by PSU’s Queer Resource Center.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/05/02/riley-gaines-psu-visit-campus-free-speech/