Right-wing agitator Charlie Kirk is set to make two stops at Utah universities during an upcoming tour next month — and it’s already spurring outrage among some students.
A petition started by a USU student Friday calling for Kirk’s appearance at the school to be canceled received more than 800 signatures in under 16 hours and came after Turning Point USA, Kirk’s organization, announced five tour stops in September, with Kirk’s visits to Utah bookending appearances in Colorado, Minnesota and Virginia.
Kirk is scheduled to first appear at Utah Valley University on September 10 and later at Utah State University on the 30th.
“Charlie Kirk’s scheduled appearance at Utah State University on his American Comeback Tour is a matter of significant concern for many students and community members,” the Change.org petition calling for the cancellation of Kirk’s USU appearance reads.
Kirk founded Turning Point in 2012 in an effort to promote conservatism on college campuses and has made a career, in large part, debating students in a “prove me wrong” format he often turns into internet content. He speaks against the LGBTQ community and is a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump. He also has a history of racist comments and encourages women to “submit” to their husbands.
“As a university deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, it stands at odds with the messages frequently associated with Charlie Kirk and his platform,” petition organizers wrote. “Allowing him to speak on our campus would not only misrepresent the values we hold dear but also create an environment where divisive rhetoric could flourish.”
Turning Point USA did not respond to a request for comment on the petition or why Kirk chose to make multiple stops in Utah.
Launched Friday morning, the petition originally had a goal of 500 signatures. By early afternoon, the petition had garnered several hundred signatures and its organizers upped the goal to 1,000 signees.
A spokesperson for Utah State University said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune that the school did not plan to halt Kirk’s appearance on campus.
“Consistent with its commitment to free speech on campus, USU welcomes a robust exchange of ideas and seeks to foster an environment where all members of our campus community can gather, associate, and express themselves freely," USU spokesperson Amanda DeRito wrote.
DeRito noted it is school policy that student clubs are allowed to invite speakers to campus and said a student group, the school’s local Turning Point USA chapter, had invited Kirk. She also pointed to USU policy that reads that the university “respects the speaker’s right to engage in protected speech and encourages a respectful presentation environment free from undue disruption or interference.”
“USU will follow its free expression policy for this event, as well as for other speakers and free speech events that occur on campus,” DeRito wrote.
The petition organizer and representatives for UVU did not respond to requests for comment.
Kirk previously made an appearance at UVU in March 2019, where he reportedly attracted a large crowd of both supporters and protesters. The school’s student newspaper reported at the time that there were no altercations between protesters and Kirk or his supporters.
In 2023, the Turning Point chapter at the University of Utah held a screening of the Daily Caller-produced documentary “Damaged: The Transing of America’s Kids,” which attracted a group of protesters at the school. The event, according to Turning Point, was eventually shut down by security.
Kirk’s visits to Utah come as Utah’s campuses have become central to a statewide conversation about “free speech” in recent years.
Last year, after police in full riot gear arrested 21 students participating in a pro-Palestine protest at the University of Utah, Gov. Spencer Cox said he was “so proud” of law enforcement.
Reporter Emily Anderson Stern contributed to this story.