Ann Coulter speaking at DePaul University on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. (Jeremy Mikula photo for RedEye)
Ann Coulter comes to DePaul University and talks about Illinois’ new civil union law … that might sound like the start to a bad joke, but that’s really what happened Wednesday night.
The outspoken conservative addressed some 150 students, faculty and staff at a lecture titled “What Your Professors Will Never Tell You,” part of the Young America’s Foundation Reagan 100 Lecture Series.
Suzanne Kilgannon, director of the Office of Student Life, noted that DePaul “welcomes different viewpoints.”
Coulter started her speech by congratulating the Obama Administration for the killing of Osama bin Laden, but noted that killing the al Qaeda leader would not bring an end to terrorism or the terrorist organization. From there, Coulter used humor to speak about everything from being “molested” by TSA agents at the airport (“It’s nice to know if that if I’m lacking intimacy I can just go to the airport”) to Obama’s golf handicap (“16″ strokes).
Coulter then turned to policy questions, such as U.S. involvement in the uprisings in the Middle East, saying that ousted Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was a supporter of U.S. policy, and questioned why France was more “macho” than the U.S. in the Libyan conflict.
Throughout the speech, Coulter’s jibes towards liberalism were met by sarcastic laughter and coughing from protesters, approximately 35- to 40-percent of whom turned their chairs around instead of facing Coulter during her speech as an act of silent protest.
After the speech, the floor was opened up to questions.
When asked what her thoughts were on the 2012 presidential election, Coulter said, “[Obama] has a glass jaw. I think he can be beaten, largely because of the economy.”
Coulter also stated that it depends on the candidate running against the president.
Coulter sparked the biggest outrage from protesters when she talked about abortion, gay marriage/civil unions and single motherhood.
Saying that Democratic Party is “obsessed with abortion,” Coulter called abortion a “litmus test for membership in the Democratic Party.” Coulter also questioned how a liberal could ever be a Christian when “they’re in favor of killing a baby peacefully sleeping in the mother’s womb, sucking its brains out [in the eighth month of pregnancy].”
Coulter also criticized Illinois for passing its civil unions law, citing that marriage between a man and a woman is “the linchpin of society.”
“It’s just another attack on marriage,” Coulter said.
The conservative author also fanned flames when she talked about the “problem of single motherhood,” claiming that movies and television promote single motherhood when, according to her, statistics on crime show most offenders come from single parent households.
Reaction to Coulter’s speech was mixed.
“I can’t believe she used ‘rape’ as an adjective, first of all,” said Katie Weiss, 22, after the speech and Q&A. “Second of all, I can’t believe that when she talked about single motherhoods, she completely went in a circle. First she said that we don’t blame deadbeat dads, or we don’t enforce deadbeat dads, and then she talked about all the ways in which deadbeat dads are talked about in media in a positive light. Then said that we shouldn’t support deadbeat dads. That doesn’t make sense.”
“I don’t know where she got her facts, she never stated one source,” Weiss continued. “It was like going into a stand-up comedy. If she had been portrayed as a stand-up comedy I think I would have laughed, I would have had a really good time.”
“And not only that, she offended every single minority group: single mothers, Muslims, gays,” added Mike Moynihan, 23.
“What appalled me the most was she was looking at that young woman in the face and didn’t even apologize for that flying carpet remark,” said Joe Marnen, 21. “She said it was a fact that if [Muslims] boycotted the airports that we’d all be safer.”
Meanwhile, DePaul College Republicans felt the event went well.
“I think we got a lot of conservative students who don’t get their voices heard on campus,” said Dan Dunham, 24, the vice president of DePaul College Republicans. “They got to hear they’re not alone, that a lot of these opinions are being espoused off campus and I think that resonated with a lot of them. I think for the more liberal students, hopefully they got a chance to hear that other side that they just don’t hear in class.”
With regards to the protest, Dunham said, “I think that certainly we all don’t have to agree with her, and I applaud them for coming out. I think it was good that they came — even if they weren’t facing her, they certainly heard what she had to say. They were quiet for the most part, respectful. Would I have preferred that they didn’t turn their chairs around? Yes, I think that was rude to the speaker, but I’m glad that they did come.”
Read more DePaul stories:
Protesters rally against DePaul tenure woes
Hummus-gate consumes DePaul
Boogie Not Bombs brings nuclear talk to forefront
Who dragged that old hag out of the closet. I will be attending the DePaul Graduation @ the UC next week and I will certainly have lots to say about AC 000
I love Ann. She’s a freaking riot.
Coulter told the unvarnished truth about the liberal position on abortion, gay marraige, etc. , which accord by the way, with the Catholic Church’s teaching. It’s sad that an ostensibly Catholic institution this was regarded by many in the audience as an outrage. That says more about the DePaul student body than anything else.
Everyone is a victim.
I quite surprised by the choice of lecturers from Depaul Student Life. There is never a problem having a speaker with a different view point on politics ever. However when you choose speakers who are out right racist, uninformed, non factual and just spout angry and bitter words…something is not right. As a past graduate from Depaul I am surprised by their choice and what message they are trying to send to their student body. As a conservative myself there are far better choices out there who represent the ideas what we believe in. Ann Coulter is def not one of them..
LOVE the comments from the naive, little wanna-be libbers! So cute! According to them, Ann reportedly “offended” minority groups — oh my! How will “they” ever make it to the next day!?! And, she didn’t apologize for the “flying carpet remark”. Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha. Stop it, I can’t take it any more!! And, Katie can’t believe Ann used the word “rape” as an adjective. OMG, where do you people live? God, this if funny flippin’ sheet!! Please, Trib, please report on more visits by conservatives to local liberal sesspools so that I can laugh this hard again — god, I LOVE it!!
Why does a conservative speaker addressing an issue sound like a bad joke? Is this an editorial by a legitimate contributor or a green reporter completely failing at objectivity. The audience feedback included in the piece was shallow and (other than demonstrating that the individuals completely lacked the capability of providing useful feedback) contributed zero to the piece.
DePaul is a catholic U in NAME ONLY…the Vincentians, oughta be ashamed of the gay kingdom they havec reated.
Ann Coulter is a vile, poor excuse of a human being. Shameful that DePaul would allow such a person to speak to their students. Who’s next, the ghost of the Hitler?
I love how they did not crop the exit sign out of the photo, thus associating ‘Ann Coulter’ with ‘Exit!’
Turning around your chairs? You’re kidding me.
How childish. If you don’t like her, then don’t attend. Extremely hormonal teenagers behave more like adults than these hysterics. As a foreigner, I respect Ann Coulter for not giving them the finger.
I love Ann Coulter, to have the mind that is free of the leftist thought process of everything is all good, and there are no right and wrong and all types of hedonistic behavior and depravity is fine.
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I cannot believe DePaul would even entertain Ms. Coulter, who is as extreme as they come. I applaud those in the audience who turned their chairs around in silent protest.
As a graduate of DePaul, I think it is a good thing to have speakers like Coulter on campus. It isn’t a question of agreeing with her or not; it’s a question of hearing diverse viewpoints so they can be assessed. Of all places, a university should be open to a free flow of ideas. By it’s actions, DePaul apparently feels the same way.
Speakers like Coulter should be welcome on college campuses like DePaul. It is not an issue of whether you agree with her or not; it is a case of hearing diverse viewpoints so they can be assessed. Of all places, a university should be open to a free flow of ideas. To its credit, DePaul apparently feels the same.
what doesn’t make sense katie, when coulter talks about deadbeat dads- it makes complete sense. We don’t go after deadbeat dads like we should in society and if they are talked about it is in a positive light. What about that goes in a circle???
The liberals are a hoot. They scream “FREE SPEECH” unless you have an alternative view point then it becomes hate speech. You cannot have it both ways.
Difference between Conservatives and Liberals… Liberals have so much time available, they attend a speech they don’t agree with and sit backwards to the speaker in defiance to boycott. They don’t want anyone to listen to what they disagree with. On the other hand, Conservatives simply don’t attend what they don’t want to hear and leave those that do more seats to chose from. Oh, Liberals are so funny…
I am glad the lecture was titled “What Your Professors Will Never Tell You.” In concrast to Coulter and every other lying conservative scum out there, professors commit themselves to teaching based on facts.
These filthy little liberals at DePaul should be ashamed of themselves for treating Ms. Coulter in this manner. Maybe they are too naive to understand the worlds problems. I guess you can’t blame these kids because they have been brainwashed by the liberal school system. How could anyone hire one of these smart ass punks for employment.
Funny how the liberals talk about freedom of speech, that is, unless you disagree with them. It then becomes racist, bigoted, (insert name here). Nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. Had another speaker been at the University and a bunch of conservatives came in and had their chairs turned around, they would have been asked to leave and charged with disruption and trespassing of an event.
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