The University of Minnesota-Morris has cancelled a student radio station after the use of the word “tranny” on-air during one of their shows.
The show, “Deplorable Radio,” was pulled off the air mid-show after the use of the word” tranny” on one of its shows.
During a discussion between co-host Brandon Albrecht and co-host Taylor Lehmann about antifa violence on campus, Albrecht made a remark about a transgender individual.
“You know, you can definitely, you see one tranny that’s trying to punch someone,” Albrecht said on-air. “You know it’s automatically that one guy that you know I’m talking about. I bet you know. I’m not going to dox anybody and name them on air. But you two know if I say the tranny who looks like he’s going to punch someone. Yep.”
“About fifteen minutes later, the student station manager came into the studio with a UMMPD officer and told us to leave,” Albrecht told The College Fix. “She said we had violated FCC [Federal Communications Commission] law by saying a word that was never allowed on air, ‘tranny.’ So we packed up and left the studio.”
Video of the incident was recorded and has since gone viral.
“Hey guys, I am just going to have you leave. You said a couple words that break FCC violations,” the manager says as she walks into the room. “And so for today, I am going to have you stop your show. Specifically tranny. That is a hate slur, it is not allowed on radio. I need you to leave.”
“Did you really have to call the police,” one of the students can be heard asking in the video.
“It’s a violation, you are breaking the law,” the station manager responds.
“That is a specific hate speech word never allowed on radio,” she added, “in the same way that you can never say ‘cocksucker’ on radio.”
One week later, the students were “permanently suspended from the radio station” during an executive board meeting, Albrecht told The College Fix.
According to Albrecht, board members “received complaints about our show and threats to file a report to the FCC, which could end up costing the station (which is a University-funded organization) thousands of dollars,” he told The Fix.
He added that board members told them that they had not violated FCC rules by using the word “tranny,” but that the board “received complaints the week before that said [Albrecht and Lehmann] sounded like [they] were under the influence, which is an FCC violation.” Albrecht denied the allegations.
“The officials are wrong,” media and First Amendment lawyer Bob Corn-Revere told The College Fix . “Neither [saying ‘tranny’ nor drunk broadcasting] is a violation of FCC rules.”
On Wednesday, Albrecht received an email citing a new violation that the show was not playing at least two songs per hour.
“Upon further consultation with University officials, we have come to the conclusion that our language concerns have been determined to not be in violation of FCC community standards,” the email read, according to The College Fix.
Albrecht said that he believes they were suspended for using the word “tranny” because other shows don’t follow all station rules.
“The situation the radio station is dealing with relates to compliance with DJ expectations and station standards,” university spokesperson Melissa Vangsness told The Fix.
“It is a shame that our freedom of speech is being curtailed today in the very place it should be most free, on college campuses,” Albrecht told The College Fix.
Albrecht said he wants to “go out with a bang and make the executive staff hold a ridiculous vote for the whole station to kick us out for saying ‘tranny.’”
