Indigenous author Darcie Little Badger has withdrawn from a scheduled speaking engagement at Weber State University following the receipt of a list of prohibited words and concepts. Little Badger stated the decision was made to avoid participating in censorship, noting that the university's requirements were an attempt to comply with Utah HB 261.
According to a post by Little Badger, the list of prohibited terms was included in a speaker information request form received weeks before the event. After contacting the university's designated contact to clarify if the restrictions applied to her, the contact confirmed that they did. Little Badger noted that while she would have been speaking as a private individual rather than for the university, she refused to censor concepts such as diversity or intersectionality.
The withdrawal follows discussions regarding the implementation of HB 261 at state institutions. Little Badger stated her intention in withdrawing was to raise awareness about the scale of such restrictions and to spark change.
