Charlie Kirk, the founder of TPUSA, was shot and killed on September 10th, 2025, on a Utah campus. On social media platforms, his legacy has been compared to that of Martin Luther King Jr., a Civil Rights activist who was assassinated in 1968. Groups have praised Kirk for his bravery and activism; others have claimed he “deserved it”. With large amounts of controversy currently surrounding his lifestyle and organization, and a Turning Point USA club being formed on campus, let’s take a moment to remember what Kirk actually stood for.  

At a TPUSA event in 2023, Kirk stated, “But I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have the cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment.” He believed the way to reduce gun violence was to put more guns into the homes of citizens, regardless of the consequences. Last year in the United States, there were 330 school shootings, the second-highest number since 1996. Kirk believed that the cost of gun rights, including school shootings and gun suicide, was outweighed by the rewards. 

During another TPUSA event, Charlie stated, “A man who calls himself trans is wearing ‘woman face,’ no different than I would wear black face trying to be a black person.” He was extremely critical of transgender and LGBTQ+ acceptance and encouraged students to report teachers or staff suspected of pushing gender and sexual orientation ideology. He often appealed to Christian conservative ideals in this area, as well as many others. Another comment from Kirk, “Leviticus 18 is that thou shalt lie with another man, should be stoned to death. Just saying.” His opinion on gay and transgender individuals is not only immensely negative and critical, but also along the lines of violence and hatred.

Charlie also commented that certain black women “do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously,” a ridiculously ignorant comment, considering black women earn more college degrees than any other race-gender group in the United States. Kirk also claimed,“… view that the country made a mistake when it passed the Civil Rights Act, also true,” an act that prohibited discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin. He believed it was an “anti-white weapon”. Kirk was highly critical of MLK Jr, calling him an “awful person” and accusing him of America’s fixation on race. In 2024, he said, “If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”

Since his death, it has been largely debated whether he “deserved” to be shot, but we must not forget that gun violence is wrong in any scenario, regardless of political affiliation. Celebration of his murder is not acceptable in any way. However, we cannot forget that Kirk was an individual with extremely bigoted beliefs, and his legacy cannot be remembered as anything but so. Now we are left with one question: Does his ideology belong in our school?