On March 8, Turning Point USA was officially recognized as a club at SUNY Cortland after filing a lawsuit against the school for denying them recognition all the way back in November.
For the full story please check out Cecile Lessard’s article here.
TPUSA describes their organization as “Guiding citizens through development of knowledge, skills, values, motivation, so they can meaningfully engage in their communities to restore traditional American values like patriotism, respect for life, liberty, family, and fiscal responsibility.”
In the lawsuit that TPUSA filed against the school, TPUSA claims that SUNY Cortland was discriminating against their group because of their viewpoints and that it was a violation of the first amendment.
TPUSA being recognized as an official club has caused many competing opinions across campus, and many students and alumni are outraged by the student senate’s decision to overturn their previous vote.
Turning Point has been known to make statements targeting minority groups such as the LGBTQ+ community as well as other minorities. SUNY Cortland is a place that accepts people of all backgrounds. TPUSA will only fuel more hate on campus, which why I believe allowing TPUSA to operate on campus is a step in the wrong direction for the future of this school.
For starters, TPUSA’s role in the January 6, 2021 attempt to violently disrupt America’s democratic processes cannot be denied. Other than the fact that a woman tied to TPUSA was charged for her role in the riot, TPUSA also allegedly organized transportation to the capitol.
Almost three months after the riot, TPUSA released an article on their website titled, “The Left’s Jan. 6 Narrative.” The writer of the article Rob Smith writes, “There is a reason The Left wants to speak of nothing else besides January 6th. Inflation is raging, the boarder is a hot mess, and gas is hitting highs not seen in the past six years.” The REASON January 6th keeps getting brought up is because people died! Five people in fact, and at least 140 officers were injured.
Turning Point USA has also fought hard on their stance against gun control. TPUSA pushes hard for the right to own a gun, many of their articles advocating for more gun rights. TPUSA writer, Jordan Rachel, states in her article simply titled “Buy Guns and Ammo,” “Americans should be equipped to defend themselves against all enemies- including a government powerful enough to control you if ever a day comes where Americans are disarmed.”
Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning point USA, has also made some alarming comments regarding gun control. In the video you can see down below, Charlie Kirk says, “I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights.”
As mentioned earlier, Turning Point USA has also made remarks towards the LGBTQ+ community that could only fuel homophobia on campus. SUNY Cortland is a school that supports equality and accepts anybody no matter how they identify. How safe are people going to feel when we have a club, ON CAMPUS, spewing nonsense targeting minorities? We have already seen homophobia on campus last semester when anti-LGBTQ+ vandalism was spotted in some of the bathrooms on campus. Having TPUSA on campus isn’t going to help solve this problem.
To paint a quick picture of TPUSA and how their ideologies are detrimental to this school, here are some of the articles posted on TPUSA’s official website: “LGBTQ Nation is Coming For Our Children,” “The Left Is Feminizing Our Men, Again,” “Why Do Leftists Change Definitions of Words,” and my personal favorite, “Unreal: Far-Left LGBTQ Pushed In Kids Show Blue’s Clues.” These are the people that we allowed onto our campus. People that are focused on making minorities lives more difficult instead of focusing on ACTUAL issues.
My problem with Turning Point USA is the fear that their club could instill in students here at the school. SUNY Cortland is a safe space. It is not a place where students should be scared to be themselves. But when you have a club on campus that specifically fights for your rights to be taken away, it makes it hard to feel that sense of security. For students already attending the school, and future students planning to apply.
TPUSA claims they fight for freedom. Okay. Let people be free. Let people be themselves without having to be judged or laughed at behind their backs. TPUSA cares only about their own strict beliefs, bringing hate and bigotry wherever they go. Their goal is to specifically fight “The Left’s” beliefs. Why fight when it’s very easy to be accepting of all?