Abstract: Academic freedom is under attack from both the left and the right. The very notion of academic freedom is at stake as liberals and conservatives attack exercises of it that do not align with their political goals. Moreover, those who purport to champion academic freedom frequently end up attempting to restrict it. This trend has accompanied an atmosphere of fear about speaking freely. At this moment, we desperately need explicit discussions about academic freedom. Those who believe in the value of academic freedom must wrest it from disingenuous invocations and truly defend it by wrestling with its genuine difficulties, including by acknowledging the tensions it may create with evolving antidiscrimination principles and practices.