Gold membership is a special category for those people who want to play an active part in shaping the FSU. As a gold member, you will be invited to an annual meeting with the FSU senior management team at which you will have the opportunity to discuss FSU progress and strategy. You’ll also be invited to all our social gatherings (“speakeasies”) and receive discounted tickets to any FSU events.
As a member, you’ll also receive regular newsletters updating you on the work we’re doing to defend free speech. In addition, members may be defended by the FSU if they are penalised for exercising their legal right to free speech. For instance, if you find yourself being targeted by a digital outrage mob on social media for having exercised your legal right to free speech, we will do our best to defend you. If a petition is launched calling for you to be fired, when you’ve done nothing other than exercise your legal right to free speech, we may help you organise a counter-petition. If you’re no-platformed by a university, we’ll encourage you to fight back and members of our advisory councils may be able to tell you what remedies are available to you. If you’re a student or an academic being investigated by your university for breaching a speech code, we may take up your case with the university. If you’re punished by your employer because you’ve exercised your lawful right to free speech, we’ll do our best to provide you with assistance or refer you to specialists who can help. You will also have access to the bespoke legal expenses insurance policy set up by Keystone Legal specially for FSU members. Some membership benefits are discretionary, such as pro bono legal advice, pro bono media/PR advice, public support and campaigning, and will be conferred at the discretion of the Free Speech Union, depending on the case and the broader interests of the Union. Gold membership is restricted to those aged 16 and over, and because Gold Members will play an active part in shaping the Free Speech Union, their membership status is subject to the approval of the Free Speech Union. You will be notified about that in due course and if your application isn’t approved your membership fee will be returned in full. Discretionary legal assistance and the insurance scheme is only available in the UK.
