The American Civil Liberties Union has explicitly endorsed the view that free speech can harm “marginalized†groups by undermining their civil rights. “Speech that denigrates such groups can inflict serious harms and is intended to and often will impede progress toward equality,†the ACLU declares in new guidelines governing case selection and “Conflicts Between Competing Values or Priorities.â€
This is presented as an explanation rather than a change of policy, and free-speech advocates know the ACLU has already lost its zeal for vigorously defending the speech it hates. ACLU leaders previously avoided acknowledging that retreat, however, in the apparent hope of preserving its reputation as the nation’s premier champion of the First Amendment.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-aclu-retreats-from-free-expression-1529533065
