THAPAR, Circuit Judge. Traditionally, American universities have been beacons of
intellectual diversity and academic freedom. They have prided themselves on being forums
where controversial ideas are discussed and debated. And they have tried not to stifle debate by
picking sides. But Shawnee State chose a different route: It punished a professor for his speech
on a hotly contested issue. And it did so despite the constitutional protections afforded by the
First Amendment. The district court dismissed the professor’s free-speech and free-exercise
claims. We see things differently and reverse.