On Feb. 11, 2025, the ACLU of Indiana filed suit in U.S. District Court against Indiana State University (ISU) on behalf of The Pride Center of Terre Haute (The Pride Center). Asserting that ISU is violating the First Amendment rights of The Pride Center, the suit asks the court to order ISU to allow The Pride Center to hold Pride Fest 2025 on campus in August of this year.
The Pride Center, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to creating a positive impact on the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals in and around Vigo County, successfully held Pride Fest on the ISU campus in both 2023 and 2024. Held in the Quad, an open area on the campus of Indiana State University that’s explicitly designated for “expressive activity” by both ISU policies and Indiana law, the festival was sponsored each year by ISU.
However, the complaint alleges, ISU refusing to allow Pride Fest 2025 to be held on ISU property again in 2025 is a violation of its own policies and the Constitution. Instead, without the The Pride Center’s knowledge, ISU secured an agreement from the city of Terre Haute to hold Pride Fest at a city park off-campus in 2025. In the suit, The Pride Center also alleges that an on-campus site is essential to the purpose of the festival as a way to demonstrate to new students that ISU is a welcoming campus. The University’s denial of a reservation for Pride Fest is part of a recent pattern of ISU preventing or discouraging actions and events that are intended to support the LGBTQ+ community.
Statement from ACLU of Indiana Legal Director Ken Falk:
ISU’s failure to provide Pride Fest an on-campus location is directly related to the message of inclusivity, equality, and support conveyed by all Pride festivals. It is clear that the university is censoring Pride Fest because of its support of the LGBTQ+ community. The Pride Center has a First Amendment right to hold their festival in the Indiana State University Quad – a space explicitly designated as a place for free expression.
The complaint can be found here.
