When Has the World Gone too far?

In addition to my story yesterday about our local student-athlete suspended for arguing on his religious belief that there are only two genders come these two incredible stories. Honestly, you cannot make these up, and they further question the value of higher education. These stories show that the issue of indoctrination rather than education is a global problem. The university system worldwide is not preparing students to be productive but Woke.

Durham University is the fifth university in England to reach out to student sex workers and communicate and promote a sensitive environment. The thinking is that sex work is the exchange of a service for money and, therefore, the same as any other job.

According to a university spokesperson:

“We are emphatically not seeking to encourage sex work, but we are seeking to provide support to our students,” a spokesperson for the university asserted. “We don’t judge. We listen, support, and give practical help. We run many courses for students and staff on topics from mental health and well-being to drug and alcohol awareness.” 

Eliminating the stigma surrounding sex work could help students who are vulnerable or at-risk access “the support they need and to which they are entitled,” the spokesperson continued.

The Durham Student Union advertised the training via an email outlining their stance on sex work and the importance of destigmatizing it:

“Student sex workers should not face any barriers to accessing support which is well informed and free from prejudice,” the email read, according to Palatinate, the university’s student newspaper. “The SU positions on students in sex work are clear: support, informed advice, de-stigmatization, and collaboration with expert organizations. We are happy to announce an important part of the work towards our goals, implemented by the Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response team in coordination with North East Sex Work forum and Student Sex workers.

Here in the States, one college professor has chosen a different aspect of the sex world to destigmatize and redefine. An assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University, Allyn Walker, gave an interview this month about a book he wrote that seeks to distinguish between pedophiles and “minor-attracted people” who do not act on their attraction. He identifies minor-attracted people by the acronym MAP. While Walker, who uses they/them pronouns, stressed that “child sexual abuse is never okay,” he was accused of sympathizing with pedophiles after stating in the interview that “having an attraction to minors as long as it isn’t acted on, doesn’t mean that the person who has those attractions is doing something wrong.”

The first question is how something this stupid finds itself in the news, and the second is how someone thinks up something this abhorrent? It was great to see that someone was finally held accountable for their actions.

Amber Kennedy, a spokeswoman for the university, said in a statement released Tuesday night:

“Old Dominion University has placed Dr. Allyn Walker on administrative leave, effective immediately, from their position as assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice. Reactions to Dr. Walker’s research and book have led to concerns for their safety and that of the campus.”

This situation is not about 1st amendment rights. This situation is about an employer, in this case, a school, saying that a person’s comments have reflected poorly on their employer and will not tolerate it. Institutions of higher education have to do better, and we have to insist on better. We need to break this cycle of indoctrination that has gripped a generation of students, and it starts with people pushed back when they have gone too far, and there is no question, Dr. Allyn Walker crossed that line, and we would all be better off had we never heard of him.