School ‘reviewing’ policies ‘to ensure they remain compliant’ with law, spokesman saysA conservative legal group is urging the University of North Georgia to drop a policy that may punish students for addressing someone with biologically accurate pronouns as “sexual harassment” or “gender discrimination.”A spokesman for the public university, however, told The Fix the school does not restrict free speech.The Southeastern Legal Foundation sent the letter this month on behalf of Young America’s Foundation “regarding University of North Georgia’s (UNG) Title IX and Gender Discrimination policies that define ‘sex’ to include gender identity and sexual orientation.”Examples of “gender discrimination” under UNG policy include “hostile” remarks like using “a biologically accurate pronoun to identify a transgender individual” or expressing concerns about “gender identity,” SLF stated in the letter.These examples are overly vague and “encompass speech that is clearly protected by the First Amendment,” the group stated.Further, it stated that the school’s policy violates U.S. civil rights legislation and President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders strengthening Title IX protections, subjecting students to the threat of unjust punishment.SLF Director of Legal Initiatives Cece O’Leary told The Fix via email, “UNG goes too far by elevating so-called gender identity over freedom of speech.”She said its policies force students to guess if their speech will be subject to punishment, even when they are speaking on “basic biological truths.”O’Leary said that students must be able to have open discourse and challenge ideas on campus.Additionally, the issue is not confined to this school. “UNG is just one of dozens of schools, states, and colleges across the country that are failing to comply with Title IX’s basic protections for men and women,” she said.She also said SLF is “hopeful that UNG was simply unaware of its oversight.”但是，该小组“保持警惕”，以“确定