Olivia Krolczyk files Title IX complaint after protesters disrupt her speech on women's rights in sports
At the event, ‘[r]oughly 200 protesters showed up at the event, broke windows, blocked the exits, [and] pulled the fire alarms.’
‘Ms. Krolczyk felt trapped. She was being held hostage in the room, with no safe way to exit due to the violent actions of the protesters.’
Olivia Krolczyk, ambassador with the Riley Gaines Center, has filed a Title IX complaint against the University of Washington after disruptive protesters forced the cancellation of her on-campus event discussing the harms of gender ideology.
Krolczyk filed a complaint on Tuesday with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, accusing the University of Washington of “illegal discrimination” under Title IX because of the university’s “failure to take reasonable and necessary measures to address the hostile environment that Ms. Krolczyk experienced,” the document states.
[RELATED: Olivia Krolczyk repsonds to protests at University of Washington]
The event in question, during which Krolczyk was meant to address the ways that gender ideology hurts women, took place on Jan. 21. During Krolczyk’s lecture, “[r]oughly 200 protesters showed up at the event, broke windows, blocked the exits, pulled the fire alarms, and disrupted the event to the point where the event had to be cancelled,” as the complaint states.
“As the event started, the protestors’ actions became increasingly aggressive. Police officers were stationed at each door, as protesters began banging on the doors, shouting insults, and calling Ms. Krolczyk names such as ‘Nazi’ and ‘fascist.’ Ms. Krolczyk felt trapped. She was being held hostage in the room, with no safe way to exit due to the violent actions of the protesters,” the complaint relates.
Following the event’s cancellation, the university released a statement that falsely blamed Krolczyk of trying to provoke community members with her event, as the complaint document states. “The University’s comments implied that Ms. Krolczyk was somehow to blame for the violence and disruption, instead of condemning the actions of those who actively engaged in a hostile environment to Ms. Krolczyk.”
“Ms. Krolczyk’s desired outcome of this complaint is for the U.S. Department of Education OCR to investigate these allegations and the facts and circumstances that led to them,” the complaint concludes.
Krolczyk told Campus Reform: “It is critical that educational institutions foster an environment where all students and invited guests can freely express their views without fear of retaliation or censorship. The University of Washington’s treatment of my views and failure to support free speech, particularly on the topic of protecting women’s sports, is an infringement on my rights.”
She continued: “I filed this complaint to ensure that the University upholds its responsibility to protect free speech for all speakers, regardless of their views or the controversy of the topics they raise. I would like to encourage students and speakers to begin taking action when these situations arise, otherwise they’ll continue to snowball and nothing will change.”
University spokesperson Victor Balta told Campus Reform: “We have not, to my knowledge, received formal notice of a complaint having been filed and therefore cannot comment on any specifics about one. We would, of course, cooperate with any investigation and provide factual information and responses.”
Campus Reform has reached out to the University of Washington for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
