Hate Speech on the College Campus: Freedom of Speech and Equality at the Crossroads

In recent years, the phenomenon of "hate speech"-or more broadly, "hate behavior"-has created a wrenching problem for American college campuses.The term hate speech, as commonly understood, refers to verbal and written words, and to symbolic acts, that convey a grossly negative assessment of particular persons or groups based on their race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability.Hate speech thus is highly derogatory and degrading, and the language is typically coarse.The purpose of the speech is more to humiliate or wound than it is to communicate ideas or information.Common vehicles for such speech include epithets, slurs, insults, taunts, and threats.