Tennessee introduces ‘Charlie Kirk Act’ protecting anti-LGBTQ+ university speakers
If signed by governor Bill Lee, the legislation could prevent public universities from restricting invited speakers based on their ideologies
By Aaron Sugg
Tennessee lawmakers have passed a bill called the ‘Charlie Kirk Act’, promoting free speech among university speakers and thereby protecting anti-LGBTQ+ views.
The Act, also known as House Bill 1476, was moved by state representative Gino Bulso, who vowed, in memory of the late Charlie Kirk, would create “critical safeguards for students”.
If signed by governor Bill Lee, the legislation could prevent public universities from restricting invited speakers based on their ideologies.
“Preserving campus free speech is integral to encouraging civil discourse” – Gino Bulso passing the Tennessee “Charlie Kirk Act”
As per Tennessee House, Bulso said: “Preserving campus free speech is integral to encouraging civil discourse and protecting academic freedom.”
“The Charlie Kirk Act creates critical safeguards for students and faculty and renews the idea that our higher education institutions should be centres of intellectual debate. This legislation honours the legacy of Charlie Kirk by promoting thoughtful engagement and defending religious freedom.”
Kirk, the former CEO of Republican Party organisation Turning Point USA, was shot dead during a university campus visit in Utah in September last year, moments after responding to a question about transgender mass shooters.
Charlie Kirk’s history of LGBTQ-related public statements revisited
Following his death, and in light of his previous remarks regarding LGBTQ+ issues, Attitude magazine conducted a deep dive into the late Donald Trump supporter’s anti-LGBTQ+ comments.
On The Charlie Kirk Show in 2022, Kirk claimed gay couples “are not happy just having marriage. Instead, they now want to corrupt your children.”
In another comment, this time about trans people, he called them ill, promoting his belief that the community should be dealt with as they were in the 1950s – policed, tortured and living in the shadows.
“These people are sick. I don’t say that lightly” – Charlie Kirk on transgender people
“These people are sick. I don’t say that lightly. […] Someone should’ve just taken care of it the way we used to take care of things in the 1950s and 1960s,” he said on The Charlie Kirk Show in 2023.
Tennessee’s move to honour Kirk’s legacy adds another blow for the LGBTQ+ community, following governor Lee introducing “Nuclear Family Month” in June – coinciding with Pride Month.
The resolution defines a “nuclear family” as “one husband, one wife, and any biological, adopted, or foster children”.
Tennessee continues to spark backlash over anti-LGBTQ+ policies across the state
In another setback, the state has also introduced a bill seeking to ban LGBTQ+ Pride flags on state-owned property during Pride Month.
Titled the “No Pride Flag or Month Act” and proposed by Rep. Gino Bulso in 2026, the legislation aims to prohibit official recognition of LGBTQ+ celebrations.