University of California System: Harassment Policy, Required Training Chill Student Expression

On October 30, 2025, screenshots of a required UC system harassment training for students circulated on X. The text in the screenshots stated that “dead-naming … may be a form of sexual harassment,” implying that constitutionally protected one-time comments may be punishable. This formulation appears to be based on a system-wide harassment policy that broadly defines harassment as “sufficiently severe, persistent or pervasive” conduct, at odds with Supreme Court precedent. FIRE subsequently obtained the entire training, which also had a required quiz question defining “unhealthy behaviors” in part as “[c]alling a person hunk, doll, babe, or honey.” On December 4, FIRE wrote the UC system explaining that the harassment policy and training violate students’ free speech rights and create uncertainty as to what expression is permitted.