As part of his tour “The American Comeback Tour,” Turning Point USA CEO and Founder Charlie Kirk is taking two stops at Utah universities. Kirk will be visiting Utah Valley University on September 10th and will make his way up to Utah State University on September 30th. As news of the tour has gained traction, reactions have been extreme. Petitions on change.org went up immediately. According to the makers of these petitions, Kirk is not welcome at UVU or USU.
Among other accomplishments, Kirk is well known for visiting college campuses to engage in political debate with students; the events gather large crowds and often lead to highly-charged arguments from students who disagree with Kirk and his conservative takes on the popular topics in today’s political world.
So why is Charlie Kirk so despicable? What has he done to make enemies with some of Utah’s universities?
According to the petitions, Kirk’s presence and ideas “stand in contrast to the values of understanding, acceptance, and progress.” They claim that he ruins the safe and inclusive spaces the colleges have worked to establish, and instead they advocate for “speakers who inspire inclusivity and unity, rather than division.” In summary, they disagree with Kirk’s conservative ideas, so they do not want anyone at their schools to hear what he has to say.
Kirk has visited hundreds of college campuses throughout the country, but the controversy from his planned visits to Utah have created so much of a stir that Kirk posted on X, saying “What is going on in Utah?” Administrations at the universities have stated that they do not have any plans to cancel these visits.
The Cougar Chronicle will cover Kirk’s visit to UVU on September 10th. Stay tuned for updates.
The Cougar Chronicle is an independent student-run newspaper and is not affiliated with Brigham Young University or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Cover Photo Source: https://thebatt.com/news/charlie-kirk-hosts-prove-me-wrong-table-at-rudder-plaza/
