Turning Point USA forced to postpone University of Washington event after trans student’s death
The conservative student organisation, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, had been due to host anti-trans activist Chloe Cole at the university
By Callum Wells
Turning Point USA has postponed a University of Washington event featuring anti-trans activist Chloe Cole.
It follows backlash from students after the fatal stabbing of a transgender student near campus housing.
The conservative student organisation, founded by the late Charlie Kirk, had been due to host the event, titled ‘Pick Up the Mic’, today (13 May). Cole, who has detransitioned, campaigns against gender-affirming care for trans young people and regularly speaks at conservative events across the US.
Why did Turning Point USA postpone its University of Washington event?
The postponement comes two days after a 19-year-old transgender student was found dead inside the laundry room of Nordheim Court, a student housing complex affiliated with the university in Seattle.
Seattle Police said officers responded to reports of a stabbing at around 10:10pm on Sunday (10 May). Emergency responders attempted lifesaving treatment, but the student was pronounced dead at the scene. Police have not announced a motive and no arrests have been made.
In the days following the killing, students criticised Turning Point USA’s University of Washington chapter online for continuing with the event. Social media pages linked to the group were flooded with comments calling for the appearance to be cancelled or postponed.
One Instagram comment read: “A trans student was murdered last night, please cancel this event.”
What did Chloe Cole say about the postponed event?
Another commenter wrote: “Considering your group’s hateful rhetoric surrounding transgender individuals may have contributed to a violent death in our community, I would say postponing or cancelling this event is the only appropriate response.”
Late on Tuesday evening, Cole announced that the event would no longer go ahead as planned. In a video posted to Instagram, she claimed concerns had been raised over possible protests and safety risks linked to what she described as a “local-militia” assembled by “Antifa”.
“Before Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I think I would have been less careful. But times have changed,” she said.