RFK Jr. The Defender - Warrior Maiden with Cait Corrigan

Caitlin Corrigan is a graduate student from the Earlham School of Religion in Indiana. She is currently pursuing a Master's in Peace and Social Transformation at the same time as she is getting her Master's degree in Peace & Social Transformation. In this episode, Caitlin shares her story of advocacy and courage in the face of intimidation, and how she was able to fight for her right to choose to not have to show proof of a vaccination to attend her graduation. Caitlin's story is a powerful reminder that courage is possible, and that we can all be brave and courageous in facing fear and intimidation in order to stand up for ourselves and speak out against what we believe is being done to us on our college campuses. Thank you for listening and supporting this podcast and Caitlin and I are so grateful to be able to share her story with all of you. Thank you so much Caitlin, I am so grateful for your courage and bravery in standing up for what is right and fighting for what s right. This episode is a must-listen episode. If you like what you hear, please share it with a friend or become a supporter of this podcast by sharing it on social media! or tweet me and I'll send it to someone who needs to hear it! Thanks again Caitlin! . Tweet Me! or Insta: if you have a story you'd like to help spread the word about this episode and help spread it everywhere else! :) Timestamps: 5:00 - Thank you! 6:15 - What do you think of this episode? 7: 8:20 - How do you feel about it? 9:30 - What would you would like to see it on the podcast? 11:00 12:40 - What are you think I should do next? 15:00 + 16:10 - How would you like it more? 17:10 18:30 19:40 21:30 + 22:15 23:10 + 24:40 + 25:00 & 26:00 // 27:00 / 25 + 30:00 | 27: What s your thoughts on it s going to happen next ? 35:00 <3 36:00 # 33:00 @ & 35 :00

00:00:00.000 Hello, everybody.

00:00:00.000 Today, we're going to talk about advocacy, and we're going to talk about courage, and we're going to talk about intimidation, and what's happening in America today, and particularly on the college campuses.

00:00:13.000 My guest today is an extraordinary hero, Caitlin Corrigan.

00:00:18.000 Welcome to the show, Caitlin.

00:00:20.000 Hi, Mr.

00:00:21.000 Kennedy.

00:00:22.000 Thank you so much for having me on the show.

00:00:24.000 I'm so grateful to be here and to share my story with you all today.

00:00:28.000 I'm a graduate student from Erland School of Religion.

00:00:32.000 I'm currently getting my Master's in Peace and Social Transformation.

00:00:36.000 I came into a difficult situation when my university required proof of the COVID test and proof of COVID vaccination to attend graduation.

00:00:47.000 Which was just last month.

00:00:49.000 And so I came into a tough situation.

00:00:51.000 I'd have a longstanding religious exemption to vaccination, which was accepted for my undergraduate degree and was accepted for my master's program.

00:01:01.000 And so when they required proof of vaccination, I simply reminded my school of my religious exemption.

00:01:09.000 And then I received an email reply very quickly that said, oh, we're not accepting that for this round.

00:01:14.000 And so I reminded them of the law and how I'm protected under Indiana state law, code 21456, that states that I'm entitled to a religious exemption to vaccination.

00:01:27.000 After notifying them of the law, I asked them, I'm wondering, What law allows Earlham College to override Indiana state law and federal law?

00:01:37.000 And if there is such a law, it is in violation of my right to religious freedom underneath the United States Constitution.

00:01:43.000 And so I didn't receive a reply from that email.

00:01:46.000 And so I got in contact with the senator in my district in Indiana, who then referred me to speak to the Attorney General of Indiana and from there I filed complaints with the Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education.

00:02:02.000 So then I filed complaints with the Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education and the Indiana Commissioner for Civil Rights and both groups did their own investigations and then a month later I received a letter where they had responded to the Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education saying Caitlin and her family We'll be able to attend graduation without having to show proof of COVID vaccination.

00:02:26.000 And on that same day, Earlham College changed their website to where they had said that they're requiring proof of COVID vaccination to just simply recommending it.

00:02:35.000 And that website had also said that they were requiring proof of a negative COVID test, and they just simply recommending that for graduation, which was great.

00:02:45.000 I was so excited after, you know, a month of contacting different representatives and And trying to figure out what rights I had protected underneath the law, I was able to change the policy.

00:02:56.000 So it was very exciting to know that I would be able to attend the graduation of my master's program.

00:03:02.000 Did you get blowback from it?

00:03:05.000 Yes.

00:03:06.000 Yes, I did.

00:03:07.000 In fact, I received so much blowback.

00:03:10.000 I was harassed.

00:03:11.000 I was threatened by my fellow classmates, by my professor, my academic advisor.

00:03:17.000 As well as the president of Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion, Ann Hauptman.

00:03:22.000 I began receiving emails and text messages from my peers in my program and those that I had graduated with from my bachelor's degree that I wasn't really in contact with.

00:03:34.000 On platforms with over 1,300 members, I was called an anti-vaccine activist.

00:03:40.000 The people were saying that I was dabbling in right-wing propaganda.

00:03:44.000 And then the defamation of character just exploded after that.

00:03:48.000 People were saying that I was an anti-Semite, that I believed Jews ruled the world, and that I thought COVID was a hoax, which is completely insane accusations.

00:03:57.000 I led the interfaith community at Earlham College for two years.

00:04:01.000 I was part of the interfaith community.

00:04:04.000 For three, I was the president for two.

00:04:06.000 I had organized memorial services for Jewish communities that were attacked in both 2018 and 2019.

00:04:14.000 And so I, as a deeply religious person, I was really hurt by those accusations and by these just rumors that were being spread.

00:04:24.000 Throughout all of Earlham College and to the global community that were just completely false.

00:04:30.000 So in fact, the threats continued.

00:04:33.000 People were sending me messages saying there would be consequences.

00:04:36.000 I'd have to pay for not getting the vaccine.

00:04:39.000 I was invited to speak at graduation prior to all of this.

00:04:43.000 And so students were really outraged that I was not going to get the vaccine and then I would be with good Be able to speak at graduation.

00:04:52.000 So people said, oh, really?

00:04:53.000 You're not getting the vaccine and you think you're going to speak at graduation?

00:04:57.000 Who do you think you are?

00:04:58.000 My phone was ringing constantly for about a week and a half, and then it continued after that.

00:05:05.000 But it was really rough for a long period of time.

00:05:09.000 My professors were included in email threads with hundreds of people saying all these horrific things about me.

00:05:16.000 And my professor emailed me telling me that The class that I was supposed to participate in in May was now going to be online due to the fact that I'm unvaccinated.

00:05:28.000 So they changed the class to being in person, to being online.

00:05:31.000 And then after that, my professor actually told me to not come to graduation.

00:05:35.000 He requested that I not come.

00:05:38.000 And then he went on to tell me that he would pay me to not attend the graduation of my master's degree.

00:05:45.000 And he would pay you?

00:05:46.000 Yes, yes.

00:05:47.000 He said that he would refund me any money that I had already put out to travel to Indiana for graduation.

00:05:55.000 So he would pay for my airfare or whatever costs if I wouldn't be able to get a refund.

00:06:01.000 Was this a professor?

00:06:02.000 You had a good relationship from him?

00:06:05.000 Yes, yes.

00:06:06.000 I had taken three classes with this professor.

00:06:08.000 This professor was also my academic advisor.

00:06:10.000 So I had spoken to him on a weekly basis for an entire year.

00:06:16.000 Basically.

00:06:17.000 And then I still had to continue being in class with him for my May intensive.

00:06:21.000 It was a two week intensive on Christian ethics, despite everything that had occurred.

00:06:27.000 So that was really difficult because then after class for four consecutive days, he would send me emails.

00:06:35.000 Basically saying, I told you not to come to graduation and you did against my request.

00:06:41.000 And so now I need to consider whether or not I should contact Boston University and retract the letter of recommendation I wrote for you.

00:06:49.000 So I've been accepted to Boston University to continue my graduate studies.

00:06:54.000 And so my professor, he wrote my letter of recommendation, one of three.

00:06:58.000 And so he began threatening me, saying that he would contact them.

00:07:01.000 He didn't exactly say what he would tell them.

00:07:04.000 I don't know exactly what he would have told them or if he has contacted them already.

00:07:09.000 But yeah, I've already accepted a full tuition scholarship for a three-year program there.

00:07:14.000 So the threats just...

00:07:15.000 And you're studying divinity there?

00:07:18.000 Yes, I'm getting my master's of divinity.

00:07:20.000 And then I plan to go on to law school to fight for...

00:07:24.000 Constitutional rights, religious freedom, and continue working on advocating for people and their rights to freedom.

00:07:32.000 Caitlin, what did you learn from having to stand up against all of this storm of disapproval and disapprobation and vilification?

00:07:44.000 Yeah, definitely.

00:07:44.000 I think that I got a really great education in evil.

00:07:50.000 When I had emailed the president of Earlham College requesting her to remove the defamatory statements made about me from Earlham College platforms and requesting security for myself and my family at graduation, she had replied in one word, LOL, and then just signed her name.

00:08:12.000 And so I... I learned that people can be really evil in the most horrific ways.

00:08:21.000 And that can just be when you stand up for your own rights and for your own freedom.

00:08:25.000 And I realized how important it is that we do take a stance and we do speak our own truth.

00:08:32.000 And, you know, even if you're speaking in front of people that are completely against whatever that truth is, that to speak it loudly and to never...

00:08:43.000 To never give up, I was able to, you know, change the policy at my school, and I'm sure that I probably spoke up for other students' rights that were either concerned about the vaccine or didn't want to take the vaccine.

00:08:56.000 And so in many ways, I didn't just fight for my rights, but I fought for many other people's rights, whether they were students or family members that didn't want to get the vaccine.

00:09:05.000 I think what's most important here is we're seeing such a huge shift in society.

00:09:11.000 There's so much hatred Against people that may have different viewpoints than you.

00:09:17.000 And so it's really important to recognize the evil, to recognize that hatred and to really change that, to be a voice for others and work in a way that really promotes love.

00:09:32.000 I'm working with trying to advocate for many other college students around the country and What I keep saying over and over again is that we have to act in a way that is loving, that is loving in a way that we have freedoms and we need to protect them.

00:09:50.000 We don't have to be full of hatred.

00:09:53.000 And it's really horrific what we're seeing in this country right now with the censorship, with just, you know, canceling people out that you don't agree with.

00:10:02.000 And that's not what America is about.

00:10:04.000 America is about, you know, you're able to practice whatever faith you want here.

00:10:09.000 You're able to say whatever you want and follow your own truth.

00:10:13.000 And that has been my whole motto, my whole life.

00:10:16.000 You know, Earlham College is a Quaker institution.

00:10:18.000 I went to a Quaker high school.

00:10:20.000 I value the Quaker principles and I live them every single day of my life.

00:10:25.000 And so what happened to me was not very Quakerly, to say the least. 0.53

00:10:29.000 Is it a Quaker school?

00:10:31.000 Yes.

00:10:32.000 Yes, Earlham College is a Quaker institution.

00:10:34.000 There's not many Quaker colleges in the country.

00:10:38.000 I went to a Quaker school for two years in Washington.

00:10:44.000 I really loved all those, you know, We had the meditation every morning and the Quaker convocation where people get up and speak.

00:10:53.000 It was really beautiful.

00:10:55.000 But did you lose personal friendships as well?

00:10:58.000 I did.

00:10:59.000 I lost many friendships and I was really concerned for my own safety going to graduation.

00:11:06.000 I apologize.

00:11:19.000 You know, it's really crazy when you feel like you're a part of a community for many years.

00:11:27.000 I was part of the Erlen community for over five years, and to be shunned, to be isolated from an institution, from your professors, from people that you once admired and looked up to, Is perhaps the hardest thing anybody could go through.

00:11:52.000 I think for me personally, it has been the most difficult situation that I've ever experienced in my life.

00:12:00.000 I've lost countless hours of sleep through this all.

00:12:06.000 I've had to take a large amount of time to reflect on myself as a person to Consider where I want to go in this lifetime.

00:12:22.000 To consider whether or not I want to continue speaking out about this truth of mine of upholding my freedoms and the freedoms of every American in our country.

00:12:36.000 And at this point, I recognize that it is a duty that I have, that I think we all have, is to protect one another and protect our freedoms.

00:12:47.000 And so I have chosen to continue doing that, but it has been perhaps the hardest experience of my life.

00:12:55.000 It's hard for a lot of college students right now in the time that we're living in.

00:12:59.000 You know, people are being harassed and threatened and bullied for declining the vaccine or even just questioning it.

00:13:07.000 And that's what's so fundamental is having the right to question what we put into our bodies.

00:13:13.000 And I think that that in itself is so important.

00:13:17.000 That we have the right to question, you know, question our politicians, question our leaders, question our scientists, and find our own truth in the world and find our own truth in what has happened this past year, over a year of lockdowns, of, you know, deaths.

00:13:36.000 And so that's what's so important, is navigating and finding our own truth in this and sticking to that.

00:13:45.000 Do you have friends who did stick with you?

00:13:48.000 I have one friend that did stick with me, but I didn't really talk about it with a lot of people after this.

00:13:57.000 Everyone that was in my master's program, no one reached out to me.

00:14:00.000 I received threatening messages from about half of the people I graduated with and the rest stayed silent.

00:14:06.000 At Earlham School of Religion, I don't have any friends from my master's program.

00:14:11.000 From people at Earlham College, I... I didn't really speak about it with a lot of people.

00:14:18.000 I received harassing messages from quite a few people that I graduated with.

00:14:23.000 And then a lot of people defriended me or blocked me.

00:14:26.000 Off of social media.

00:14:28.000 And so I did speak about it to one of my friends who did stand by me and had asked if, you know, she could in any capacity, if I wanted her in any capacity to speak up on my behalf.

00:14:39.000 I said, you know, at that point, everything was kind of over.

00:14:43.000 Graduation had already happened.

00:14:45.000 And so I had said that it wasn't really necessary, but I appreciated her to try to advocate for me in some way.

00:14:51.000 No one reached out to me and I didn't I didn't want to talk about it to anybody else because I felt like everyone thought that I was a threat in some capacity, in some insane way.

00:15:03.000 Yeah, everyone I graduated with, no one stood by my side.

00:15:07.000 And I was actually removed from my last online class.

00:15:11.000 It's completely online.

00:15:12.000 And that class is supposed to continue until the end of And so I've had to do it all independently with another professor.

00:15:21.000 And I actually just completed that on my last assignment on Friday.

00:15:26.000 So I was a few months ahead.

00:15:29.000 I'm grateful to complete my requirements for my degree, move forward and move ahead.

00:15:34.000 The best is yet to come.

00:15:37.000 I'm sure you know this, but virtually everybody that I'm sure you admire and I admire throughout history, You are people who have gone through the same thing that you're going through, isolation, disapproval of your community.

00:15:54.000 The willingness to stand up for something you believe in, even when everybody around you is telling you that you're wrong.

00:16:02.000 And I admire you so much, Caitlin.

00:16:05.000 You're really a hero to me.

00:16:08.000 You know, you have a lot of people in our community who love and admire you and understand what you went through.

00:16:15.000 I pray for your strength.

00:16:17.000 I pray for your courage.

00:16:20.000 And I know that you're going to give us a lot of wonderful leadership in the future.

00:16:24.000 Thank you.

00:16:25.000 Thank you so much.

00:16:27.000 I definitely think that I've made it through the uphill battle.

00:16:30.000 I went to a Board of Education meeting last week.

00:16:35.000 A few parents had contacted me and asked if I could speak on their children's behalf at the meeting.

00:16:41.000 And the Board of Education of Miller Place on Long Island, New York, was discriminating against children who had medical exemptions to wearing masks.

00:16:52.000 Many of them were vaccine injured or had autism.

00:16:57.000 We're special needs children.

00:16:59.000 And so I went to the meeting to speak up for them.

00:17:02.000 And after I said my name, I was pushed, accosted.

00:17:07.000 Two large male security guards kind of backed me up into a corner.

00:17:12.000 They had chased me around the auditorium because they didn't want me to speak.

00:17:16.000 And they told me that they were throwing me out of the meeting because I wasn't allowed to speak.

00:17:21.000 And so after that I had posted the video of what happened.

00:17:25.000 I had it all video recorded and I posted it on social media.

00:17:30.000 The next day my boss was emailed and somebody or multiple people, I'm not really sure, had emailed my boss and told I heard that I had disrupted a board of education meeting, that my actions were inappropriate and unacceptable, and were most likely not in line with the mission of the organization that I work for currently.

00:17:56.000 And so my boss had called me that day, and she said, I don't know what happened, but it seems like a lot of people hate you right now.

00:18:03.000 And she stood by me.

00:18:04.000 She said, I didn't even bother watching the video because I've known you.

00:18:07.000 She's known me for eight years.

00:18:09.000 And she knows that I'm a human rights activist and that's who I've been my entire life.

00:18:16.000 When I was seven years old, I donated 11 inches of my hair to Lots of Love for children that either have cancer or other conditions that cause them to lose hair.

00:18:27.000 And from the time I was seven, I've always been an activist for other people.

00:18:32.000 And so she's known me her whole life.

00:18:35.000 And she said, I didn't even bother watching the video.

00:18:37.000 But, you know, I told those people that Kaylin is our intern and we love her here.

00:18:42.000 And I'm sure whatever she was doing was for the betterment of society.

00:18:47.000 And that was that.

00:18:48.000 But people were trying to have me remove my position.

00:18:52.000 At an internship that I've had for the past year, and so people are trying to continue to make me stop advocating for other people, and that won't happen.

00:19:03.000 You know, at this point, I think the worst thing that you might try to do to somebody is take their integrity away, and that was what was done with all of the defamatory statements online that were made, that were shared with thousands of people that I've never I've seen or talked to before in my life, but I won't stop.

00:19:23.000 This has just been my beginning.

00:19:26.000 How can our listeners support you, Caitlin?

00:19:30.000 Definitely.

00:19:30.000 I think we need more people.

00:19:32.000 We need more people to stand up.

00:19:35.000 If you strongly believe in something and you see something that's happening in your community that's wrong, that you have to use your voice.

00:19:45.000 You have to You know, learn what rights you have underneath the Constitution and exercise them in any capacity.

00:19:53.000 You know, what would be so great is if there were, I mean, right now there's many people that are speaking out, and it's hard with all of the censorship that's happening.

00:20:02.000 But, you know, go to Board of Education meetings.

00:20:04.000 Go to, you know, businesses that are discriminating based on vaccine status that are requiring you to show proof Of vaccine status.

00:20:13.000 And even if you've had the vaccine, if that makes you uncomfortable, if you think to yourself, oh, well, sharing my personal medical information is kind of against American values, then speak out about it and then say, actually, I don't really want to give you that information.

00:20:31.000 It's unlawful for you to require that.

00:20:35.000 And I'm no longer going to shop at your store anymore.

00:20:39.000 I'm no longer going to...

00:20:40.000 Attend your farmers market or, okay, your school is going to require me to show vaccination.

00:20:47.000 If not, I have to be mass.

00:20:49.000 I have to do testing every week.

00:20:51.000 Then I'm no longer going to go to this institution.

00:20:54.000 I will not, you know, pay the $60,000 tuition every year.

00:20:59.000 And by doing that, by resisting, we will see a major shift in our society.

00:21:05.000 And that's what we need.

00:21:06.000 We need a major shift.

00:21:08.000 And we need more people to stand up.

00:21:10.000 All it takes is one person.

00:21:12.000 You know, I was the only person that was really standing up to my institution and their policy in requiring vaccine status to attend graduation.

00:21:22.000 And so, you know, I was able to change that.

00:21:25.000 And other people can too.

00:21:26.000 You just have to know what rights you have and exercise them.

00:21:32.000 And I know you're working with Children's Health in New York.

00:21:36.000 Is there...

00:21:41.000 Definitely, yes.

00:21:43.000 So on Twitter and Instagram, my name is, or my account name is, I am Kate Corrigan, C-A-I-T-C-O-R-R-I-G-A-N. And on Facebook, it's Kate Corrigan, C-A-I-T-C-O-R-R-I-G-A-N. So you can follow me on there.

00:22:04.000 I'm currently working with some members from Children's Health Defense in New York to write letters for college students where their colleges are requiring a religious leader to write a letter in support of their religious exemption, which is completely unconstitutional and just goes completely against the idea and concept of religion and personal religious belief.

00:22:29.000 Hopefully that letter will be made available to the public soon.

00:22:32.000 We have some lawyers that are just reviewing our letter just to make sure that it is all set in stone and can be used.

00:22:42.000 So I'm working with some of some other members from Children's Health Defense to organize college students.

00:22:48.000 Colleges are really hitting these college students with A lot right now, requiring the vaccine.

00:22:56.000 And then if you don't have it, you can't attend sporting events.

00:22:59.000 You can't be on sports.

00:23:00.000 You can't participate in extracurricular activities.

00:23:03.000 And that's the whole part of college.

00:23:05.000 College is not just attending class, even though that's a big thing, but it's being part of a community and attending events and participating in clubs and sports and choirs.

00:23:17.000 And so that's not an equal and fair education if If you're not able to fully participate like anybody else.

00:23:24.000 I'm working on a letter as well for schools that are segregating people not having the vaccine.

00:23:31.000 You know, this is something That is really important to me.

00:23:36.000 I definitely feel like I was segregated, isolated, shunned, and I want to make sure that that doesn't happen to any other college student, graduate student, young person.

00:23:46.000 It shouldn't.

00:23:47.000 No one should be treated the way I was treated, and so I want to make sure that I can do anything in my power to prevent that from happening again.

00:23:56.000 You're an amazing girl, Caitlin.

00:23:59.000 I will tell you right now that when you get out of Boston University, you have a job at Children's Health Defense.

00:24:07.000 If you need it, that's a permanent offer.

00:24:09.000 And thank you for your courage.

00:24:12.000 I'm really a hero.

00:24:14.000 Thank you.

00:24:15.000 Thank you so much.

00:24:16.000 I admire your work tremendously.

00:24:18.000 You have been a big inspiration.

00:24:20.000 And my family has followed Children's Health Defense for many years.

00:24:25.000 And, you know, it's so essential.

00:24:27.000 You know, it's very meaningful work protecting people's rights and making sure they're not violated.

00:24:32.000 Medical freedom, religious freedom.

00:24:34.000 The right to speak on whatever that may be.

00:24:37.000 And so it's definitely our duty, I think, as citizens.

00:24:40.000 You don't have to be a lawyer.

00:24:42.000 You don't have to be a doctor to speak out.

00:24:45.000 And that's what's so important.

00:24:47.000 I think college students might be intimidated, might say, oh, well, I don't really know.

00:24:52.000 You know, I just know that I don't want to do this.

00:24:54.000 And I feel like it's, you know, I have the right to not be forced to inject myself with anything.

00:25:00.000 And I want to make sure people know that they do have a voice in this and to fight back.

00:25:05.000 All it takes is one person to make a difference.

00:25:08.000 Thank you.

00:25:12.000 Thank you.

00:25:14.000 Have a good night or a good rest of your day.

RFK Jr. The Defender - June 23, 2021

Warrior Maiden with Cait Corrigan

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