Texas State University condemns demonstrators who brought offensive signs to campus

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

---

Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse condemned the actions of two men who came to the San Marcos campus the day after the election with homophobic and misogynistic signs, characterizing their messages as “disgusting.”

In a letter to the campus community Thursday, Damphousse said he was saddened by the behavior.

“While TXST is legally committed to protecting free speech on our campuses, we understand that words can negatively impact members of our community,” he wrote. “I condemn the hateful words these two men wrote and spoke while they were on our campus. That kind of hate is not welcome here.”

The two men were not Texas State students, faculty or staff, Damphousse said. The student newspaper, The University Star, reported the men were with the Official Street Preachers, a website that writes about current events “from a Christian perspective.”

According to the Star, the men drew a large crowd of counter-protesters. They were escorted off campus after an hour. The president said the school is exploring potential legal responses.

Texas law requires public universities to keep outdoor campus spaces open for “expressive activities” for any individual to use, including people unaffiliated with campus. Individuals or groups do not need to give prior notice to the university that they will use those areas.

Damphousse said in his message that when the school learns events or protests are happening on campus, officials dispatch a team that includes university police officers to monitor the event.

In his letter, Damphousse said the incident was especially disturbing after an emotionally charged presidential election.

“Even though the timing may not have been intentional, it may have seemed like these events were related,” he said. “It is my hope that we will strive to focus on the things that unite us, treat each other with respect, and support each other as we learn, serve, inspire, and discover.”

A Texas State University spokesperson said a similar incident happened at the University of Texas at San Antonio, but the university did not respond to a request for comment.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: University of Texas at San Antonio has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.