As everyone and their brother knows, Yale and the University of Missouri are facing manufactured crises-turned-real-crises as students (and, occasionally, professors and administrators) demand everything but the kitchen sink be given to accommodate demands of “safe space” from things like reality and the U.S. Constitution.

In the meantime, a leader of the #MillionStudentMarch thoroughly embarrassed herself by knowing nothing about economics in her fight for free college, a $15-an-hour minimum wage, and cancellation of student debt.

As these events start to lose traction in the media cycle, a new story is popping up on the other side of the political spectrum: that of Professor Robert Lopez, a bisexual man raised by lesbians who is married with kids and — brace yourself — opposes redefining marriage.

And for the crime of giving students an option to present at a pro-family conference he helped organize, Lopez may lose his job at the taxpayer-funded California State University at Northridge (CalState).

Harassment is nothing new for Lopez. The radical LGBT organization Human Rights Campaign targeted Lopez in 2014 as part of the so-called “Export of Hate”, something he says leaves him fearing for his family’s safety.

Now, he says the university violated policies when it targeted him, and he is threatening legal action against the university for violations of California employment and civil rights law.

University policy states that it will complete investigations “no later than 60 working days after the intake interview,” with a 30-day extension if necessary. However, in a deposition, the university told Lopez he was investigated after formal charges were filed in May.

Lopez also points out that the deposition says the allegations made against him by a female student “were similar to the allegations made” by two students “about the conference just days after it took place on October 3” of last year – meaning the investigation apparently started in 2014.

The university eventually found Lopez innocent of discrimination, but last month found him guilty of retaliation against a student. Lopez says the “retaliation” claim is clearly bogus, pointing to how the student in question got an “A” in his class, even after reporting him, and that there is no documented proof of retaliation.

How bad is the university’s case? You can see six relevant documents here for the full details, but Lopez’s lawyer put it well:

In a letter to the university, Lopez’s attorney — Charles LiMandri with the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund — wrote that the finding of retaliation violated university policy, noting that while “intimidation” and “retaliation” have high bars in official university documents, the charges against Lopez are based upon conversation fragments that took place seven months apart.

“In sum, this evidence does not even begin to meet the CSUN’s own standard for ‘retaliation,'” says the letter. “Under these circumstances, we have no choice but to conclude that the disposition of this investigation is purely political and ideological attack on Dr. Lopez for holding — and exposing his students to — ideas about children’s right in the context of family and reproduction which are apparently unpopular at CSUN.”

To be clear: Lopez’s views are well outside the norm for the university setting. For example, while he told me last year he could in theory support same-sex “marriage,” the effects on children are such that he cannot back it.

On the basis of this position, he filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, urging it to not redefine marriage for the sake of children. Likewise, he has a well-publicized, correct opinion that IVF is comparable to slavery.

However, for a taxpayer-funded university that claims to value diversity, targeting Lopez is the height of hypocritical censorship. It’s also in violation of their policies, and — I have to think — probably illegal.

This story has finally gotten traction this month, with stories by LifeSiteNews* Campus Reform, The Daily Caller, The Washington Times, and a Drudge Report link — among other outlets — and even a Huffington Post op-ed. Three petitions have been launched, as well, including one by LifeSiteNews* that you can sign here.

The story has yet to break into mainstream media, but the campus is already responding to pressure, sending a statement to me for a piece at The Daily Signal, and the same one later in the week to The Washington Times.

Only time will tell whether CalState’s free-speech warriors will defend Lopez even if they don’t agree with him. Likewise, the cynic in me doubts that the same mainstream and liberal press that hounded the University of Missouri chancellor and president into retirement for, well, nothing will cover an actual attack on constitutional and human rights by university administrators. In the meantime, it can only help if Hot Air readers sign all three petitions, especially if you live in California.