A University of Minnesota student is suing the school over its Title IX and pronoun policies, arguing they violate students’ free speech rights by discouraging discussion of topics including biological sex, transgender issues, and women’s sports.

Jackson Barrick, a rising senior at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, reportedly filed the lawsuit with the Southeastern Legal Foundation and Young America’s Foundation.

The legal challenge argues that the university’s policies are so broadly written that students may censor themselves for fear of disciplinary action.

“We face a lot of uncertainty in terms of what punishment we could possibly face because we’re speaking about a controversial subject,” Barrick told The Federalist.

According to the lawsuit, students could face harassment complaints or discipline for stating there are only two sexes, declining to use another person’s preferred pronouns, opposing biological males competing with female athletes, or objecting to individuals using bathrooms designated for the opposite sex.

Southeastern Legal Foundation attorney Kim Hermann said the policies rely on subjective standards that can chill speech regardless of whether a student is ultimately punished.

“Even if it doesn’t result in severe discipline, it has ultimately changed the entire course of that person’s education and taken away their educational opportunities because it [is] a subjective standard,” Hermann told The Federalist. “It can be as simple as someone reporting a person of the opposite sex being in a restroom; that is enough for them to file a complaint and for the University to launch an investigation.”

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