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Speaking out for academic freedom in Mexico
Students should not fear for their careers when they voice their views, especially in an academic setting. University graduate Christian Cortez Pérez had his license to practice psychology threatened, just for what he said in his graduation speech. As the top of his class at his university’s School of Medicine and Psychology, Christian earned the right to deliver the address at his June 2022 graduation ceremony. In his speech, he voiced his deeply held moral convictions regarding the state of the world today on many issues, including the importance of the family and the sanctity of life.
The Autonomous University of Baja California responded to complaints from professors against Christian with formal proceedings to ban him from practicing psychology. Christian responded with a counterclaim, and with the support of ADF International, won his case against the university.
Unfortunately, there are still many other Christians whose free speech is threatened every day.
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"Public universities must respect the free speech rights of all students, and I am committed to obtaining justice not just for myself, but for all Mexicans interested in preserving the right to freely express themselves”
- Christian Cortez Pérez
Case Summary
Christian earned the right to deliver the commencement address at his graduation on June 27, 2022 for the School of Medicine and Psychology at the Autonomous University of Baja California. In his speech, Christian called for the rejection of the redefinition of the family and radical gender ideology, stating the following:
“Today we are deep into a real anthropological struggle to redefine the human being, the human person, man, through the implementation of ideologies and fashions of thought that always end up undermining dignity and freedom.”
Christian quoted G.K. Chesterton on the destruction of the family: “People do not know what they are doing; because they do not know what they are undoing”. He further noted that, “to attack life and the family is to self-destruct, it is an attack on civilization itself” calling on his peers to live in solidarity with one another— “you have to love, no one seeks the good of the other if he does not love him”.
He was confronted by loud protests and walkouts on the part of some students and faculty but was able to deliver the graduation address in full. Since then, he has been the subject of a silencing and sanctioning campaign initiated by the school’s professors, resulting in severe reputational harm and a potential ban on his ability to practice in the field of psychology.
The professors issued a “manifesto” calling on the university to sanction Christian’s so-called “hate speech” by 1) withholding his professional license, 2) withdrawing his academic merit award, and 3) alerting psychology associations across Mexico regarding his actions.
The professor’s demands, effectively to ban Christian’s professional practice as a psychologist, were presented to the University Council. Christian was informed on August 4 that the university had initiated proceedings against him and he submitted a counterclaim to protect his rightful interests.
“I am filing a counterclaim to protect my rightful interests, but also to take a stand in defense of the free speech rights of every student. To be clear, I recognize that some may not agree with the content of my speech, but that’s what free speech is all about. Everyone should be able to peacefully share their views at university, without fear of punishment or retaliation,” stated Christian.
In its ruling, issued on September 21, 2022, the University Council held that, “the arguments presented by the aggrieved party are unfounded, as well as the sanctions requested, for which reason the appeal filed is dismissed”.
“I am overjoyed that the University has recognized that I committed no wrong in exercising my free speech rights to speak about issues of profound moral concern from the graduation podium. What happened to me shows how dangerous it is when professors with agendas try to punish students with whom they disagree. Academic institutions must respect the free speech rights of all students, and this is a great win for fundamental freedoms,” stated Christian in response to the ruling.