In the 1990s, flipping through the opinion pages of the Crusader meant stepping into the heat of intense cultural debates. Editorials tackled topics that sparked passionate discourse–homosexuality, AIDS, interracial dating and even whether girls should be allowed to play on boys’ sports teams. These were issues that challenged societal norms and, often, the comfort zones of the school community. The opinion section is a forum where controversial ideas clash, pushing the boundaries of what is acceptable in a high school paper.
Today, it might seem like The Crusader’s editorial pages have grown quieter or safer–that free speech in our publication has somehow been curtailed. But that perception misses a key truth: the issues we write about now are no less significant; they are simply more accepted by our school community. When we publish articles advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, discussing gender equity or critiquing systemic injustice, we are not facing the same backlash our predecessors did. That is not because we have lost our voice–it is because the school has changed.
The viewpoints once considered radical or divisive are now part of mainstream conversations. Our generation benefits from the progress those earlier editors helped create. We are still engaging with complex topics, still challenging readers, still holding our school and society accountable. But the reactions we get are different–often more supportive, sometimes even apathetic–not because we’re playing it safe, but because what was once controversial is now expected.
What has changed is not our willingness to speak, but the environment in which we are speaking.
Let us not forget that in 1990, same-sex marriage was still illegal in every U.S. state. Public support for it sat at just 27%, according to Gallup, a multinational analytics and advisory company. By contrast, as of 2023, over 70% of Americans support same-sex marriage–including a majority of young Republicans. The culture around LGBTQ+ rights has shifted dramatically over the past three decades, and as a result, articles defending those rights do not spark the same controversy they once did. To be clear, they are still necessary but they do not carry the same social risk.
Similarly, the conversation around gender equity in sports has matured. Title IX, passed in 1972, was still relatively fresh ground in the ’90s, and many communities were just beginning to grapple with what equal access really meant. Today, gender equity is widely regarded as a basic expectation in schools–something the CIF and the California Department of Education both support through policy and funding requirements. When we write about female sports like the latest girls’ wrestling match, we are standing on the shoulders of those earlier writers who pushed the issue forward.
If it feels like The Crusader’s editorial section is “safer” today, but it is not because we’ve abandoned tough topics. It is because the values that once sparked outrage–equality, inclusion, openness–are now more accepted by our school community. That is a sign of progress. And it is a credit to the generations of student journalists who used their platform to fight for a more open, just and understanding world.
Free speech in our newsroom has not declined–it has matured. As of 2024, California Education Code Section 48907 still guarantees students the right to free expression in public school media, stating that student editors are responsible for the content of their publications. In fact, California is one of only 14 states with a “New Voices” law that protects student journalists from administrative censorship, according to the Student Press Law Center. The law is clear: the freedom to publish has not gone anywhere.
Of course, this progress does not mean our work is done. Free speech is not just about printing what is easy to say–it is about daring to say what is hard, even when the topic shifts. As new issues emerge, like mental health, climate justice, political polarization or digital surveillance, we have a responsibility to push the conversation forward. That means being unafraid to question norms, challenge authority and represent diverse voices.
That is why we cannot take this freedom for granted. The right to speak openly in the Crusader has not disappeared–it has been hard-won, protected and passed down. Now is the time to utilize this right with urgency and purpose.
