Charlie Kirk

The Charlie Kirk Radicals Hated Wasn’t Really Charlie Kirk

Since founding Turning Point USA at the age of 18, the late Charlie Kirk regularly visited high school and college campuses to engage the student body in civil debate.

Of course, it was during this exact type of event where Charlie was assassinated last week by a gunman who told his roommate (boyfriend) that he “had enough of [Kirk’s] hatred” and that “some hate can’t be negotiated out.”

What did Charlie Kirk say that Tyler Robinson found so distasteful and hateful?

Prosecutors in Utah are beginning to piece the puzzle together, noting that Robinson’s mother told them their son had “started to lean more to the left – becoming more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.”

Yet, is it likely Tyler Robinson also believed things about Charlie Kirk that just weren’t true?

Not only is it probable but guaranteed.

Thanks to the propaganda and lies regularly spewed by radical agitators, a caricature of Charlie Kirk emerged over the years that was far from reality.

Back in July, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) said Charlie was guilty of “racist, homophobic and transphobic speech while on campus” and labeled him a “professional provocateur” who was “actively hostile to higher education.”

Charlie was neither racist, “homophobic,” nor “transphobic.”

It’s not surprising then, that in the aftermath of last week’s murder, the group has come to the defense of teachers being disciplined for celebrating Kirk’s assassination. In a statement released this week, the group warned,

“The AAUP notes with great alarm the rash of recent administrative actions to discipline faculty, staff, and student speech in the aftermath of the murder of Charlie Kirk. We write to remind leaders of colleges and universities of their fundamental duty to protect academic freedom and the absolute necessity to ensure that the freedom to discuss topics of public import without constraint is not curtailed under political pressure.”

But what if that “freedom” is leading to a false portrayal of someone and that misrepresentation is enough to trigger another to resort to violence against someone else? The day after Kirk’s death, author Stephen King claimed that Charlie had “advocated stoning gays to death.”

He had never done any such thing. In fact, Kirk had simply quoted the biblical passage to point out how easy it is to cherry pick verses in the Bible. King later apologized – but how many people saw the original tweet not the retraction?

It’s one thing to have a fundamental disagreement with someone, but caricaturizing an opponent can be dangerous and deadly.

Deliberately mischaracterizing someone can shutdown openness to debate. It also discourages someone from digging deeper into a person’s actual background. After all, who wants to have a conversation with a racist or bigot? It’s easier to feel disdain for someone if you see them as a one-dimensional person rather than who they really are.

Some prominent liberals were praised for releasing empathetic statements in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination. But if you listen or read carefully, you’ll find a common thought in many of them.

Senator Bernie Sanders decried the violent killing but noted Charlie was “Someone who I strongly disagreed with on almost every issue.” Actress Jamie Lee Curtis offered heartfelt comments but noted that she “disagreed with him on almost every point.”

Really Senator Sanders and Jamie Lee Curtis? Disagreement on almost every point?

Anyone interested in discovering the real Charlie Kirk would have found a humble Christian man who boldly and bravely brought his Christian faith into the public square.

Here are just a few of his recent public statements:

“I mean, I’m nothing without Jesus. I’m a sinner. I fall incredibly short of the glory of God. We all do. I gave my life to the Lord in fifth grade, and it’s the most important decision I’ve ever made, and everything I do incorporates Jesus Christ.” 

“The mechanisms of a religious society [are] good for everybody. When somebody walks around and thinks that you were created and that you’re not God, you tend to have better citizens.” 

“The greatest minds of history have been mesmerized by the Scriptures — Isaac Newton, Thomas Aquinas. Isaac Newton wrote more about biblical prophecy than even physics. And so there’s something about the Scriptures that are intellectual, that does push your limits. And that’s what I think is so beautiful about our faith is it can be accessible to everyone, but also infinitely nourishing in exploration.”

“It defies reason to think that this is just a roll of the dice. When you see a baby come into the world, when you see how we naturally heal, when you [see] even consciousness itself — I think it is a pretty miraculous thing. To think that’s all just a bunch of happy accidents — I think it’s more rational to think that that’s a byproduct of design.” 

“We as Christians have hope that we are going to see our loved ones again and that we will be in heaven and that we will be in perfect peace and that this is not it. In fact, there’s something even better awaiting us.”

Charlie found and discovered ultimate peace last Wednesday afternoon. It would benefit everyone, especially those who hated and thought they knew who Charlie Kirk was, to dig a little deeper and discover the truth about him. Even better, it would be ideal if they discovered not just who Charlie Kirk was – but the Lord and Savior he loved and worshiped right to the end.

Image from Getty.

Charlie Kirk’s Accused Assassin and His Links to Transgenderism

(Caution: This article contains disturbing subject matter and links.)

Law enforcement officials continue to dig into the background of Charlie Kirk’s accused assassin, Tyler Robinson, including his leftist radicalization, relationships and online associations. He has now been charged with aggravated murder and six other offenses.

While early reports stated that the accused killer had inscribed “trans” into one of the bullet casings, that story was later debunked.

But when the suspect was detained, Governor Spencer Cox read the words engraved on four bullet casings recovered with the shooter’s gun. Those words do show the suspect’s connections with transgender and leftist ideology and violence.

The engraved words give clues about the accused’s life and motivation:  

  • “Oh bella ciao. Bella ciao. Bella ciao. Ciao. Ciao.”
  • “Hey, fascist! Catch!” Up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols. 
  • “If you read this, you are gay. LMAO.”
  • “Notices bulges, OWO. What’s this?”

The first is an Italian song used by antifascists fighting Mussolini in Italy, which has now been appropriated by the fake, radical left antifascist movement, “antifa.” The second is a taunt falsely labeling Kirk a fascist, followed by references to exploding a bomb in the video game Helldivers 2.

Those casings link the accused with violent, leftist extremism.

The third is evidently a kind of juvenile online insult, but it’s ironic because the killer himself was apparently in a same-sex relationship (more on that in a bit). It’s also important because the shooter was mocking Kirk, whom the left has dishonestly labeled as “homophobic” and “transphobic.”

The fourth message, “Notices bulges, OWO. What’s this?” is perhaps the most obscure to most people. According to Know Your Meme, it references a 2013 meme that trolls (intentionally angers) others, “parodying both furries and online roleplay subcultures.”

“Furries” refers to people who identify with and roleplay dressed as real or fictional animals. For some “furries,” this is also a sexual fetish. This is illustrated in the original meme, which involves two male “furries” involved in a sex chat – when one spots the other is a male and responds, “owo,” an emoticon representing two wide-open eyes with an anime-styled mouth.

But in this case, it seems there’s a more personal message, which was spotted immediately by Pericles “Perry Alpha” Abbasa, a political analyst with thousands of followers on X.

He posted on X that “‘notices bulge OWO’ means that Tyler Robinson is a chaser (also known as GAMP). He is a man who is sexually attracted to transgenders.”

“GAMP” stands for “gynandromorphophilia,” a sexual fetish which entails, according to researchers who study the issue, “Erotic interest in natal males who have female-typical physical characteristics (e.g., breasts) while retaining a penis.”

The word is a compound of Greek words: gyne (woman), andro (male), morpho (form or shape), and philia (love of).

The young man accused of Kirk’s murder was seemingly signaling his own attraction to men who use drugs, hormones and surgeries to ape the appearance of a woman.

Just a few days later, Fox News’ Brooke Singman reported this connection to transgenderism, writing that the murderer’s “roommate and lover” is a “male transitioning to a female” and “is fully cooperating with the FBI.”

Of course, males cannot “transition” to become a female – they merely modify their bodies to mimic real women.

FBI Director Kash Patel affirmed the truth of this story by reposting Singman’s original post.

Journalist Andy Ngo, who has tracked escalating antifascist, “transgender” and “trantifa” violence, also confirmed Singman’s reporting with some sleuthing of his own. “Trantifa” refers to transgender-identified individuals working within the “antifa” movement.

Ngo identified the roommate “as 22-year-old Lance S. Twiggs” and then went on to do a deep dive into “Twigg’s social media history … to confirm his transgender identity,” saying that Twigg’s now used the name “Luna.”

In an article titled, “Unmasking ‘Luna’: Charlie Kirk Assassin Suspect’s Alleged Lover Is Confirmed to Be Trans,” Ngo revealed posts from Twiggs “about his anxiety with injecting cross-sex hormones.” He also showed several images of Twiggs in “furry” costumes.

In addition to this evidence, various sources have reported that the FBI is investigating transgender-identified individuals and allies who Kirk’s murderer appears to have communicated with before the shooting.

In an exclusive report, The Washington Free Beacon reported, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating social media posts by at least seven different accounts that appeared to indicate foreknowledge of the assassination of Charlie Kirk.”

The Beacon further explained, “The posts – one of which referenced the date of Kirk’s assassination, September 10, more than a month before it took place – were all deleted in the days following the killing. Several of the accounts appear to belong to transgender individuals, and at least one of them followed suspect Tyler Robinson’s roommate, with whom Robinson was allegedly in a relationship, on TikTok.”

The news outlet added, “While the posts do not establish that any of the individuals knew or conspired with Robinson, the 22-year-old gunman who allegedly shot Kirk, several of them mention the conservative activist by name and fantasize about his death.”

It was clear from the start that Kirk was martyred for his conservative political beliefs and his Christian faith – which include those opposed to “gender” ideology.  

He certainly wasn’t killed by someone who agreed with those deeply held beliefs.

Those conservative and Christian beliefs include: There are only two sexes, male and female, we need equality under the law – not “equity,” fatherlessness is harmful for children, free speech and religious liberty are vital, foundational rights, and salvation comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

These are all at odds with secular “gender” or “queer” ideologies.

We want to be clear: Not all transgender-identified individuals and their allies – those who embrace and espouse gender ideology – are violent. But the ideology, in and of itself, is violent, and it has fomented horrific violence against others, as we’ll discuss in part two of this series.

In addition, we should be extremely cautious when speaking about or sharing social media claims and statistics about shootings and mass killings by transgender individuals and their allies. While there have been many recent acts of violence and murder by transgender-identified activists, we simply don’t know the total percentage of recent killings from this group.

Finally, Jesus calls believers to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. This admonition includes transgender-identified individuals and their allies.

Related Articles and Resources

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Charlie Kirk: Man of Faith, Family and Fidelity

Five Things You Need to Know About the Nashville Shooter’s Manifesto

Focus on the Family: Understanding Homosexuality

Focus on the Family: Transgender Resources

Judge Up for Promotion Moved Serial Rapist and Pedophile into Female Prison

Male Offenders Harm Dozens of Female Inmates in Women’s Prison

Nashville Shooter’s Journal Reveals Destructive Power of Gender Ideology

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What’s With Trans Activist’s Growing Fascination with Violence and Assault Weapons?

Image from Getty.

Honor Charlie Kirk’s Memory, ‘Don’t Let Your Voice Get Softer’

Susie Wiles is President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, a longtime Florida political insider perhaps best known for being a Washington outsider.

In the aftermath of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Wiles reportedly pulled the White House staff together late on Wednesday evening and delivered the following message, “Go home, hug your children, hug your spouse, be careful, take precautions — and don’t let your voice get softer. Charlie would want everybody to speak as they had been and more.”

There is plenty of evidence that Susie Wiles is right when projecting the now late Charlie Kirk’s charge to the rising generation. He was unapologetically and unashamedly bold when it came to speaking up and speaking out. He knew that doing so came with risks, but was still willing to nevertheless wade into the deep waters of debate.

“If you believe in something, you need to have the courage to fight for those ideas – not run away from them or try and silence them,” he once said.

Cultural engagement isn’t an optional element for Christians. We’re commanded to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), “serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5:13), and “be doers of the Word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22).

There’s no free pass to retreat into our holy huddle and live out our days detached and alone. Even in the face of opposition, we’re given an out to back down and turn around.

But then there is the great and ongoing debate about how we engage.

There are some who might read Susie Wiles’ words to not get softer and think they run counter to Solomon’s observation that “Gracious words are like a honeycomb (Proverbs 15:1) or the Apostle Paul’s charge to “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6).

Yet, she’s clearly not talking about tone, but frequency, boldness, earnestness, and enthusiasm.

In a troubled world, it’s the Christian who has the message of ultimate hope. In a chaotic culture, it’s the believer who brings peace.

We must not get softer. We must strengthen our resolve. Redouble our energy. Reimagine the opportunities God is placing before us.

We must be not just like Charlie Kirk – but be like Jesus, His Lord and Savior who he loved and adored.

Susie Wiles is right.

Don’t let your voice get softer.

Image from Getty.

Radicals Show Civil Dialogue Has its Limits

As a committed follower of Jesus Christ since the fifth grade, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was familiar with the Scriptures and did his best to model the admonitions found within the Old and New Testaments’ pages.

As he crisscrossed the country and engaged young people, Charlie took the Apostle Paul’s words to heart. “And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,” we read in his letter to Timothy (2 Tim. 2:24). Charlie also trusted in King Solomon’s guidance that, “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). 

It’s a real problem, though, when soft answers nevertheless stir up an unstable person’s emotions.

Some of Charlie’s exchanges with individuals who disagreed with him are surfacing once again in social media in the wake of his tragic murder on Wednesday. They highlight some of his many wonderful qualities and gifts, but especially illustrate his unwavering commitment to civil dialogue.

In one, he greets an individual named “Mercury.” The person wants to know why Charlie is even there. The insinuation from Mercury is clear: I’m not used to meeting or talking with someone who sees the world differently than me.

“I’ve been asked that question a lot,” Charlie responds. “First of all, that question should not even have to be asked. When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilizations stop talking, civil war ensues. When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group.”

He continues, “What we as a culture have to get back to is being able to have a reasonable disagreement where violence is not an option.”

“You think that’s not emotional violence?” asks Mercury. 

“What is emotional violence, by the way?” asks a perplexed Kirk. “I don’t know what that is.”

“It is harm intentionally perpetrated on another person, another human being, that is intentionally targeted at their emotional well being,” replies Mercury. 

Labeling ideas you disagree with as “emotional violence” is absolute nonsense. It also exposes and explains the impasse we reach with radicals when trying to have productive and honest dialogue.

Christians are rightly burdened to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with a lost and confused world. In good faith, we extend a hand of fellowship and a willing ear to listen. This is what Charlie did on his Salem radio show, on his campus tours, and in various media appearances. But if a different opinion is viewed as “emotional violence,” what are we to do?

On Wednesday in Orem, Utah, a radical actor (either alone or in coordination with others) decided they couldn’t win the argument, so they decided to eliminate the arguer. They couldn’t prove him wrong, so they chose to wrong him in the worst possible way by murdering him.

Charlie was killed because the truth he spoke made somebody angry. They couldn’t win a debate with him, so they instead wanted him dead.

Those of us who admired and appreciated Charlie Kirk’s commitment and devotion to sharing His love of the Lord and the uniqueness and miracle of America can resonate with the apostle Paul’s second letter to believers in Corinth

“We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you (2 Cor. 4:8-12).”

The assassination of Charlie Kirk doesn’t demonstrate that civil dialogue is a lost cause, but it does remind us that it has its limits, especially when dealing with a mentally and emotionally unstable ideology and individual.

Image from Getty.

Charlie Kirk, a Friend to Many, a Friend to My Family

Charlie Kirk was the real deal – a man of character who loved God, his family, and this country. My family was blessed to know him and to call him a friend.

I first met Charlie at the Western Conservative Summit, a Colorado-based conference my husband, Jeff, hosted for many years. At the time, Charlie had recently founded Turning Point USA and was becoming well known for his ability to confront bad ideas and thoughtfully talk about conservatism with young people on college campuses.

Jeff and Charlie hit it off. Both passionate about their faith, convictional about truth-telling and brave in the face of opposition.

They shared a bond as men of God who felt called to make a difference in this world for Christ’s Kingdom and were motivated by their love for America.

Over the years, Charlie came back to speak many times at the Western Conservative Summit. Our paths crossed repeatedly at conservative gatherings, faith-based events, political activities, fundraisers and even a football game with the family.

What I remember most about Charlie was his character. He was driven by a calling on his life. He knew it. We all did. He knew the success of his mission was based on his ability to be a man of character. He didn’t get distracted from that call.

I also remember being struck by his humility. Whether he was getting ready to speak on stage, rushing off to another event, or just hanging out, he took the time to put other people first.

On one occasion, when Charlie was in town, my husband and teenage son met him at a mutual friend’s house to watch college football. Charlie made time for people. Rich or poor. Young or old. Powerful or powerless. People mattered to him.

In recent years, it’s been a blessing to watch Charlie advocate for faith, marriage, family and children. He didn’t just preach this lifestyle, he lived it – authentically.

Charlie had a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He and my husband would discuss Scripture. He knew God was at work redeeming our sinful world, and he was called to serve in that mission.

He was also an outspoken supporter of marriage and family. Charlie was a faithful husband and a committed father. He knew personally the blessing of having his own nuclear family. Every chance he got, he encouraged the next generation to get married and have kids because he wanted other Americans to know that blessing.

The thing that inspires me most about Charlie was his courageous commitment to live his life with Christian conviction and purpose. He was not controlled by fear. He was guided by the Holy Spirit to engage a lost culture with truth – and he was faithful to that call.

Charlie’s life is a reminder to us all that those whom God calls, He equips. May we walk in faith, like Charlie, believing that the one who called us is with us and is greater than he who is in the world.

Charlie was a hero. I’ll be forever grateful for his impact on our country and on my family.  

Image credit: Jeff Hunt /Western Conservative Summit