D.C. Metro Sued for Rejecting Ads, Including for Milo's Book

An ad for "Dangerous" on the New York subway

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is being sued by the ACLU for rejecting a number of ads, including those for a book by gay racist Milo Yiannopoulos.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

Read Full Bio

Neal Broverman

August 09 2017 10:14 AM EST

Nbroverman

Sorry to interrupt...
But we wanted to take a moment to thank you for reading. Your support makes original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Help us hold Trump accountable.

One-time Monthly

$19.67 $50 Other

$5 $19.67 $50

The American Civil Liberties Union -- known to fight for the rights of minorities as well as freedom of speech -- filed suit against Washington, D.C.'s public transportation agency for rejecting ads from four different groups, claiming it violated the First Amendment in doing so.

One of the advertisers in the suit is the publisher of Dangerous, the latest book from Milo Yiannopoulos, a former Breitbart editor and online troll who made a name for himself by bullying actress Leslie Jones and espousing the Islamophoblic policies of Donald Trump; Yiannopoulos has faded from public view after he was caught defending pedophilia.

The other rejected ads include those from the ACLU, which displayed the First Amendment in English, Spanish, and Arabic; a women's health care collective called Carafem that was promoting a "10-Week-After Pill"; and several PETA spots that suggested people give up consuming animal products. The Dangerous book ad was first accepted by Metro but removed from D.C.'s trains and buses after many riders complained.

Metro adopted new rules against controversial advertising in 2015, following a scandal involving virulently anti-Muslim ads. The ACLU lawsuit wants the policy overturned, claiming it's too arbitrary and unconstitutionally vague, in addition to violating free speech rights.

Trending stories

Did 'The White Lotus' waste Lisa's acting debut?

Beyond Wonderland's accepting & unifying rave culture is needed more than ever

How climate disasters hurt mental health in young people

Discover the power of Wellness in your life

Gerald Garth is keeping people of color happy and healthy through trying times

French Polynesia doesn’t need Pride flags to earn its place on every LGBTQ+ bucket list

'The White Lotus All-Stars': A dream cast for the gays

All 6 rogue Mississippi cops got long prison sentences in 'Goon Squad' torture of 2 Black men

23 brutally funny 'Hands Off' protest signs that prove the resistance is alive & hilarious

Is Greg Hunt gay? Here's what 'White Lotus' actor Jon Gries thinks

France becomes world’s first country to enshrine abortion rights in constitution

Joe Biden has tied the record for most LGBTQ+ judges confirmed in federal courts

15 lesbian coming-of-age movies that will hit you right in the feels

Tony award-winning 'Falsettos' writer William Finn dies at 73

Trump's orders prompt CDC to erase HIV resources

Peaches Christ says she's been 'retraumatized' by police investigating drag icon Heklina's death

Season 4 of The Switch on resilience & radical self-love returns this spring

The Charles is Pacific Grove's new LGBTQ+ hotel

Matt Bomer reveals his favorite 'Fellow Travelers' sex scene with Jonathan Bailey

Elon Musk uses burner accounts on X, doesn’t fact-check: report

Broadway's best raise over $1 million for LGBTQ+ and HIV causes

Broadway bound: The best hotels in NYC’s Theater District for every type of traveler

Robert Irwin is stripping down & rocking tiny briefs in new underwear campaign

River Gallo wants more intersex stories — watch 'Ponyboi' trailer (exclusive)

Out and About with Karan Soni

"The four plaintiffs in this case perfectly illustrate the indivisibility of the First Amendment," Lee Rowland, ACLU staff attorney, said in a statement ."In its zeal to avoid hosting offensive and hateful speech, the government has eliminated speech that makes us think, including the text of the First Amendment itself. The ACLU could not more strongly disagree with the values that Milo Yiannopoulos espouses, but we can't allow the government to pick and choose which viewpoints are acceptable."

From Your Site Articles