RILEY GAINES PODCAST： Olivia Krolczyk's Fight Against Campus Censorship
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Summary
Olivia Krolczyk is a 20-year-old student at the University of Cincinnati pursuing a PhD in Women's Gender Studies and a passion for freedom of speech. In this episode, Olivia shares her story of how she became a voice for the LGBTQ++ community and how she fought for the rights of women in sports.
Transcript
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With a towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms and a weighting depth of 900 millimeters,
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where we are advocating for girls, and today we are advocating for the freedom of speech.
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she's fighting for something that grown men can even find themselves fighting for.
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I have been wanting to talk to you face-to-face for a long time.
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I know we were both at the YWLS conference together, but we missed each other.
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And so I have been dying to have this conversation.
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So just really, thank you so much for coming on the Gains for Girls podcast.
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Well, first and foremost, I just want to say what an inspiration to me you have been.
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You were presented with a situation that you could have never prepared for.
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This is not something you ever wanted, but the way you have handled it, the way you have
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responded, and really the way you have ultimately rolled your sleeves up and said enough is enough
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And so I kind of just wanted to start with that.
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If you could tell us a little bit about you, where you're from, and ultimately what led you
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to sticking up for what you're sticking up for.
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Yeah, so I'm actually originally from the Chicagoland area, but I decided to attend University
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of Cincinnati once my family moved here for my dad's job.
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I'm 20 years old at UC, and I decided to take this women's gender studies course this summer.
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I'm actually enrolled in about 34 credit hours a summer because I'm on track to graduate
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a year and a half early with my chemistry degree.
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So the whole situation has been extremely stressful because I was already taking a year's worth
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That is more than I have ever heard anyone take.
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I imagine you don't need this for your chemistry major unless, hey, they might be adding this
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Actually, I probably wouldn't put it past them.
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Did you choose to take this to kind of broaden your horizon, your understanding of what this
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So this satisfied two different requirements for me.
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Obviously, I wouldn't take the class if I didn't want to.
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But it satisfied the free elective courses that you have to take to reach 120 credits
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And then also, we have diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements, DEI.
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You have to take certain categories of classes.
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And so it was just like a good combination to knock both of those out at the same time.
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Tell us about what led you to be in the position you're in.
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Can you tell us about the topic of the essay and how your teacher responded upon turning in
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And the whole class was pretty much about feminism.
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So you expect my teacher to know what a woman is.
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And I chose to write about the history of rights and opportunities that women have had
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And I actually talked about your story because you've been an inspiration to me and so many
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And I think what has happened to you is just indescribable.
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And so obviously part of my project touched on the fact that, you know what, these rights
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of biological women are being taken away each and every day that we continue to allow men
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And in using the term biological woman, my professor said it was exclusionary and was contributing
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And then in further emails back and forth with her, she basically told me that, you know,
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it was transphobic to even have this topic in class.
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I have never heard of the word heteronormativity.
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When I first saw your story, that's ultimately what caught my attention is that it reinforced
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heteronormativity, indicating that it is in fact normal for a woman to be attracted to
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I didn't think that was a problem to reinforce that.
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Nothing against, you know, people who I want to like who they like.
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It's nothing against that, but it is normal to, for a male to be attracted to a female
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So that, that blew my mind and all for, and I loved how you said it's a course essentially
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And you would imagine your teacher knows what a woman is, yet you got reprimanded for using
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Um, ultimately, what was your, your reaction when she said this?
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I mean, I, I can't even imagine what I would do if I had a teacher, someone who is supposed
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Honestly, I was sitting at my kitchen counter and I got the notification that my grade dropped
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to, I think it was like 49% or something, something crazy.
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And I was like, oh my gosh, what just happened?
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And then I saw her comment saying that biological woman was the reason that she failed me.
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Why would a professor fail a student for saying biological woman?
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If anything, and this would be done too, to knock down points, but I feel like that would
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be a more appropriate reaction to a student using the term is to knock a couple points off
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So I, my mom was sitting next to me and we both like worked on an email to send to my
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Like, I don't understand why biological woman isn't allowed.
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And so what did your, what did your teacher respond back?
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Well, we had quite the exchange of emails in which she pretty much let me know that.
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I don't know the exact wording because she uses a lot of long, fancy words to try to throw
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She lengthened that word in an interview and said cis heteronormativity.
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But she pretty much said that sex was not determined at birth and that it's transphobic to say these
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And I'm like, to state facts, that's not, that's not transphobic.
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Um, so for her to take this approach of, of this whole assigned at birth, sex assigned
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at birth, that's the most silly thing I've ever heard in my, in my life.
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And so I just want to applaud you for sticking your ground.
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Um, when did you, what, what point in this process did you really decide to go public and
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So actually during our emails, I realized I was not going to get anywhere.
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And as the like high academic performing student that I am, I was like super nervous.
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I don't want to retake it or waste the money on the class.
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So I was like, well, can I just do another project?
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You can turn it in by the end of the like semester, but it was like an expedited course.
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So the semester ended in like two to three days.
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And then it clicked in my head where I was like, I can't conform to this professor.
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I'm ashamed to say that I was about to, like, I was so close to just, you know, doing a new
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And I realized if I don't say something, then there's going to be so many more students she
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And there already are so many students that this is happening to.
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Well, wow, that literally gives me chills to hear you say that, because truthfully, in my
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situation, too, I was a coward for a long time.
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I was quiet for majority of the season until ultimately I came to the same realization of
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you, as you, of really understanding if we can't stand for basic truths and the morals
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And so that's, I'm sure you feel as if you've been some lone voice and lone face really fighting
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for this and advocating for what you're advocating for, which is ultimately freedom of speech,
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which I don't know, I don't know why this freedom of speech should not be bipartisan or
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People across the political spectrum should acknowledge that freedom of speech is a good
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Why, why has censorship suddenly been embraced on college campuses?
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And so I guess that's my next question for you is ultimately, where do you see the direction
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Because again, in my experience, I just came from one.
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The amount of silencing that we dealt with as female athletes, and it was effective.
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The tactics they use, the emotional blackmail, the intimidation that they use to try to silence
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And so where do you see the direction of colleges going?
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I see it going in a very bad direction, but I think that you, me, and so many other people
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Hopefully, I think, I think we are going to change that.
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But honestly, it was shocking to see how difficult it was for me to even get the school to do
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I had been nagging administration for weeks, but I think it was about two weeks until my
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Two weeks of me sending emails, me asking people, begging people, can we please have a meeting
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And until I got in the hands of the right person, then my grade was changed.
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But even then, I filed a free speech complaint with the school, and the school formally reprimanded
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But I found out a few days later that they quietly reversed this once the media on my situation
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They quietly reversed this reprimand on my professor, and she's getting away with the freedom
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So I know that if my school is doing this, this is happening at so many schools, and it's
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And when you say reprimand, what consequences did that really look like for your teacher?
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And have you guys had any dialogue since this became very public?
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I've seen that really, I respect you a lot because you weren't even the one to make her
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Um, you kept her name entirely out of it until she came forward and then accused you of all
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Have y'all had any conversations, um, since, since you came public?
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Uh, well, so getting back to what you said about the reprimand, so that pretty much means
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that they were going to put this in her professional file for, you know, all future employers.
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And then a, I think it was a free speech training and submit her syllabus for the upcoming school
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year, which I personally think is a slap on the hand for what she's done.
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But then, yeah, the communication between me and the professor has been silenced.
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It's like her and I have not directly communicated at all since we discussed, I think the day
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or a few days after she failed me because then it was all through the administration at school
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I didn't want to say anything I would regret and I didn't want to hear anything else from
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So then, yeah, she released her own name because the, the point of me speaking about this on
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social media was not to be like, Hey, everyone go attack my professor.
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My story is about the fact that I'm one of so many like experiences out there.
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Like I am one of so many people who are being suppressed on their college campuses.
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And I think she saw the publicity and attention that I was getting and she wanted in on that.
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So she played the victim card, of course, as many people try to do and has said a lot of
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things that are just either simply untrue or unfair to say.
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Do you feel as if, well, I, I'm pretty certain I know your answer because I know how I felt
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I had to take a, my major was actually chemistry at first as well.
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And I had to take a lot of ethics courses and different, um, I actually took a gender
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Um, and I felt like I had to tailor my papers a certain way to get a good grade.
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And, and what I'm noticing is across the country, that's the consensus, even in the South, like
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where I went, University of Kentucky, we felt this way.
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And so I entirely agree with you that this is, it's happening all over, um, about the
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backlash, how I mentioned she, she came out and essentially used the argument of your, your
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Um, have you gotten a lot of backlash or do you just kind of get the name calling such
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as being called a racist for saying freedom of speech should exist?
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It's so, it's so weird to see where people's heads are at, but, uh, yeah, there has been
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a lot of backlash, a lot of name calling, obviously the death threats are like, I'm going to show
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And like, I haven't had a ton of questioning of what I'm saying because they actually have
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And I'm like, okay, but you have no real argument that says a lot more about you than
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And I actually am saying the truth and you can't even argue against that.
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And I love that you can acknowledge that because this cancel culture that we live in, they want
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They want you to be scared of the name calling, but that really is all it is.
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And it speaks more to their insecurities than it does to yours.
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Is that, is that what they're going to resort to?
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It's because they can't dissuade from your argument, which is actually really powerful
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Um, I think when people can look at a situation and take the negative, such as the backlash
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It is, it does take a toll on you, but if you can take that backlash you're getting and
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ultimately use it to fuel your argument, I wish more people had that, that same perspective
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Have you had a lot of doors being open for you?
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I mean, the opportunities that I have had are just absolutely incredible.
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And the support from people like you and all these other speakers who have spoken up about,
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you know, men in their sports and the ones that really stick out to me are actually the
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parents of young girls who are messaging me and saying, I have two daughters who are running
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Thank you so much for sticking up for them and their futures.
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It's for all of these other girls and not even just girls, but for college students, for
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young men, like all of these people, I want to help them.
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I mean, America was built on freedom of speech.
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And like we said earlier, it's going down a bad path.
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You know, Olivia, you sound like you're filled with hate.
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No, how could anyone listen to your argument and say that that's hateful?
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I mean, I, I hear the compassion coming from your voice, advocating for what you're advocating
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It really is for everyone, all ages, all, all sexual orientations, even all gender identities.
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That's who you're advocating for, to be able to speak freely, um, voice your opinions.
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I mean, I don't, I don't understand how that's, that's controversial.
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And the other thing is like, you don't have to be a great swimmer like you to speak up.
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You don't have to be the smartest in class to speak up.
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You don't have to experience this to speak up because everyone has a voice and we need
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Like it's going to be in numbers that we can solve this issue.
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I mean, if there's one message people can convey from this is that you shouldn't have
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And I know I mentioned me and I, I did wait until I was impacted in similar to you too,
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but if we wait until every single person is impacted before they use their voice, it's
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And so I so appreciate that, that push for encouragement that you just gave, everyone
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should be speaking up about these issues, whether that's freedom of speech, whether that's
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one of the many cultural issues that we're facing, whether that's in corporate America,
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academia, the media, there are so many places where people could and should be speaking
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up and we shouldn't wait until we are impacted.
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I was just saying, I totally agree with what you said.
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It's so important that everyone, you know, shares their voice.
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As I mentioned, the backlash, as you talked about the backlash, it's a lot.
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You're going to, to, to not get a job or to not get into grad school or anything like
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that because of taking the stance that you've taken?
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There were times where I was, you know, this was getting to be a lot.
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And I was just like, I want to go back to being normal, Olivia, a college student, average
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And there's a reason that this happened to me is because I'm supposed to speak up and I'm
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I think it's going in great places because of what I'm trying to do.
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And honestly, a lot of people are like, I hope you never get a job because of this.
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I hope you like have a horrible future, you know, all these threats and horrible comments.
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And I'm like, I don't want to work for a company that disagrees with me anyway.
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That is what I want people to realize too, is if you fear as if you can't speak out, you
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have to adhere or you're coerced by some sort of authority figure.
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Do you really want to be working for them to deny womanhood, to deny the sheer essence
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Do you want to be working for someone who denies that really?
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Once you say the truth, it is, it is liberating.
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You feel as if when you don't have to adhere, you feel like a weight is off, off of your shoulders,
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Oh my gosh, you are like a breath of fresh air.
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Wouldn't it be just wonderful if everyone could have the same mindset that you do and
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Because really it is in regards to this, all of this gender ideology stuff and using the
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These are sex-based terms, woman, that this is not a fluid term.
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This term doesn't change just because we want it to fit a narrative.
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I mean, feminism, look, these terms don't change.
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And so to have you speaking out, I couldn't be more grateful.
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And as you mentioned, parents across the country, girls, boys, everyone, we have you to thank.
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And I only see your future getting brighter and brighter.
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Um, so I guess my last question, what are you going to continue doing?
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Um, I know I heard today you're actually working with the Leadership Institute in regards to
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some different trainings and how to really equip yourself with effective ways to communicate
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and really how to go out into the world and continue making an impact.
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The Leadership Institute has been beyond amazing and super helpful with training me and helping
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And I hope I'm doing an okay job now since I just got back from training.
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And I hope that I will continue to speak out and do more interviews and influence more students
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to speak up because if we all continue to be censored, no change is going to happen.
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So hopefully you'll see me speaking on stages at one day, one day, and just like sharing
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the word about what happened to me and not only what happened to me, but what's happening
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Well, I can tell you, um, through the Riley Gaines Center at the Leadership Institute, we
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will be putting you on college campuses, talking about this, going to different environments
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and sharing your perspective on how you were affected, why freedom of speech is necessary.
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It's not just needed, it's, it's necessary for a culture to thrive.
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I mean, look at what happens when you take that away.
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I mean, look at Germany, Russia, North Korea, China, Brazil, Cuba, all of these places.
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This is the first steps to Marxism and you are combating that.
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Um, and so I, again, I couldn't be more proud of you.
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I mean, obviously you've been a huge inspiration in my life and in me speaking out.
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So I really appreciate everything that you have done for so many people.
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Well, um, I think together we have a lot of cool things in our future.
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I think we're going to collaborate on, on a lot of things, um, regarding college campuses,
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And so I look forward to catching up with you again soon.
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If only everyone could have the same mindset and courage and resiliency that Olivia has,
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then America wouldn't be going in this downward spiral that we are today.
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She's a big reason in why I'm fighting for what I'm fighting for.
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Uh, make sure you check out outkick.com to find this podcast gains for girls or anywhere