Conservative political pundit Michael Knowles will deliver a speech titled “How Radical Feminism Destroys Women (And Everything Else)” to UB students in Slee Hall at 7 p.m. March 9.
The event, sponsored by the UB chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF), will be open to the public and include a Q&A and a closed meet-and-greet with YAF club members.
The speech was originally slated for April 26, 2022, weeks after another YAF-sponsored speech by Allen West sparked student protests on North Campus, which prompted UB and University Police to investigate YAF’s allegations of violence as well as online threats toward protestors.
YAF ultimately decided to postpone Knowles’ speech, with now-chairman Connor Ogrydziak citing “time constraints, and discussions with the Student Association (SA)” and a “need to hire security outside of the university,” in an email to The Spectrum last spring.
As of August, no criminal charges related to the Allen West protests have since been filed by University Police.
Ogrydziak did not respond in time for comment on Knowles’ event and the fallout of last year’s Allen West speech.
The SA has allocated the organization $3,361.36 to cover contract, food and security costs this semester, according to the SA general ledger. YAF will enlist the services of local security firm Excelsior Management ahead of Knowles’ arrival on campus.
Knowles is a political commentator who rose to prominence at The Daily Wire and hosts a daily radio show at WHD, a commercial station serving the Buffalo-Niagara area.
He is known for authoring a 266-page satirical empty book titled “Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide” and has made appearances on The Rush Limbaugh Show, PragerU and Fox News.
Knowles sparked controversy on Fox’s “The Story” for calling Greta Thunberg a “mentally-ill Swedish child” in September 2019. He made headlines earlier that year after student protestors sprayed him with lavender oil and other non-toxic liquids at his April 2019 speech at the University of Missouri - Kansas City, titled “Men Are Not Women.” In 2018, Knowles publicly reiterated his opposition to same-sex marriage and gender fluidity.
In the wake of the Allen West protests, the university reiterated its position that SA-sponsored organizations have the freedom to “invite speakers of their choosing” as long as they abide by university guidelines and corresponding state laws.
UB also says it does not “take a position on the views expressed by those who visit its campus” but commits to “upholding its core values of diversity, inclusion and mutual respect at all times.
Kyle Nguyen is an investigative reporter and can be reached at kyle.nguyen@ubspectrum.com
Kyle Nguyen is a senior news/features editor at The Spectrum.
Photo: Ryan Hagen | UB Athletics
