Charlie Kirk. Photo: Gage Skidmore, via Wikimedia Commons
On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated while on stage at a public event at Utah Valley University. The shooting has been widely reported as a “political assassination” by news outlets including the Associated Press and CBS News.
The attack occurred during a stop on his “American Comeback Tour” as he was taking questions from an audience. A single shot was reportedly fired from a distant rooftop, striking him in the neck. He was pronounced dead at the age of 31.
This tragic event took place against the backdrop of his well-documented and often controversial views on various social issues.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, had publicly stated views that were in opposition to LGBTQ rights. He opposed gay marriage and referenced what he called an “LGBTQ agenda” that he claimed aims to “corrupt your children.”
Kirk’s views were also seen as a part of a broader strategy of “sowing and exploiting fear that white Christian supremacy is under attack by nefarious actors, including immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community and civil rights activists.”
He frequently engaged in public debates on college campuses on topics including the LGBTQ+ community, gender, and sex.
In one debate at the University of Florida, a student wearing a dress to support the LGBTQ+ community debated Kirk on the distinction between gender and sex. In response, Kirk argued that most transgender women are men with “autogynephilia,” a claim that has been disproved by research.
At a University of Wisconsin-Madison event, Kirk told a gay conservative student, “I don’t agree with your lifestyle.”
