Club invites Milo Yiannopoulos to UF

A conservative UF group announced plans Friday to invite journalist Milo Yiannopoulos to speak on campus in October.

Keira Hornyak, the president of Turning Point USA at UF, said Yiannopoulos, a technology editor and writer for conservative news website Breitbart News, contacted the group about a month ago to add UF to his cross-country “Dangerous Faggot” speaking tour.

Hornyak said she hoped to hold the event Oct. 4 but could not clarify its location. The group is currently undergoing a registration process to reserve a space on campus for the event, she said.

Hosting Yiannopoulos, who is gay, would hopefully spark meaningful dialogue among students, Hornyak said.

“I want to show the world that UF is civil and we can act like adults,” she said.

Paul Bernard and Steve Orlando, UF spokesmen, said they are not aware of Turning Point’s plans to host the journalist.

As of press time, Yiannopoulos could not be reached for comment, and UF is not on the list of nearly 50 tour stops available on his official website.

He is scheduled to visit four Florida universities later this month including Florida State University, the University of South Florida and the University of Central Florida, according to his website.

Other notable tour stops include Dartmouth College, Columbia University and Stanford University.

Yiannopoulos has been the subject of controversy — his critics accuse him of promoting racism, and his supporters defend his right to free speech.

In July, Twitter permanently suspended his account from its social media site.

Ben Duong, a UF microbiology and political science senior, said if Yiannopoulos were to visit campus, his speech would likely be met by protesters.

The 21-year-old said Yiannopoulos has publicly supported sexism, racism and xenophobia.

He also said the journalist is a proponent of the alt-right movement, which Duong described as a modern rebranding of white nationalism.

“He’s definitely not above causing controversy,” Duong said. “In fact, I know him to usually embrace the controversy.”

Noah MacGinnis, a UF political science sophomore, said both critics and supporters of Yiannopoulos would benefit from hearing him speak. Doing so would help them understand each other, he said.

The 19-year-old said although he does not align himself with Yiannopoulos’ social views, he has the right to say what he wants — even if some may disagree with his message.

“I definitely share his values for sharing what he feels and expressing his First-Amendment rights,” MacGinnis said.