As the defender of the First Amendment, the ACLU’s free speech position often leads it to defend the rights of all sorts of people expressing all sorts of opinions. When does expression, including music, poetry, and visual art, warrant defense even if it is offensive to some? When does language become a tool of oppression, the defense of which is indefensible to many? This discussion features Lee Rowland, a senior staff attorney with the national ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project; Tamara Winfrey Harris, an Indianapolis author who writes about the intersection of pop culture with race and gender; and Tatjana Rebelle, activist and founder of the longest female-led spoken word show in Indianapolis. The panel will explore how “free speech” is essential to keeping power in check, but isn’t easy and certainly isn’t free of costs, to speaker or listener.