FREE//GRATUITO
PUBLISHED BY ACCIÓN LATINA
April 20-May 3, 2023
Vol. 53 No. 8
SF STATE
HOW TURNING POINT USA USES CONTROVERSY TO FUEL GROWTH TURNING POINT USA Y SU TÁCTICA POLÉMICA DE PROMOCIÓN
Un grupo se enfrenta a la policía mientras ésta protege a Riley Gaines de los manifestantes en la SF State el jueves 6 de abril de 2023. La deportista fue oradora principal en un evento de Turning Point USA; ella es critica de la participación de personas transgénero en eventos deportivos femeniles. A group confronts police as they guard Riley Gaines from protesters at SF State on Thursday, April 6, 2023. Swimmer Riley Gaines was the feature speaker at a Turning Point USA event and known to be critical of transgender participation in women sporting events. Photo: Benjamin Fanjoy/ Golden Gate Xpress Aiden Brady
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Golden Gate Xpress
n April 6, SF State made national headlines when former University of Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines hid from transgender rights activists in a barricaded room for over three hours following her controversial speech about trans women in sports. As protesters outside the room chanted “trans rights are human rights,” Gaines tweeted from inside: “The prisoners are running the asylum at SFSU.” The event was hosted by Turning Point USA, an organization founded in 2012 by conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. While TPUSA claims to focus on freedom, free markets and limited government, it garners the most attention when it comes to hot-button issues like abortion, vaccinations and LGBTQ+ rights. TPUSA has over 600 chapters at colleges and high schools across the United States. This semester, SF State became one of those schools. The TPUSA chapter at SF State, created by Broadcast and Electronic Communications Arts student Navid Mehdipour, debuted during the first week of the spring semester. Mehdipour said he discovered TPUSA when the organization tabled at Diablo Valley College, the school he previously attended. At the time, he was not heavily involved in politics; however, Mehdipour found himself aligning with the conservative beliefs of the or-
ganization. This was around the time of Donald Trump’s presidency, and when Mehdipour expressed support for him, he was met with backlash. “Why am I being oppressed and getting attacked because of my political beliefs?” he asked. “I’m just saying something like everybody else. I just have a point of view; I just have my own beliefs.” The beliefs of Mehdipour — and of TPUSA as a whole — are often controversial. On March 16, Mehdipour hosted a meeting about abortion in the Cesar Chavez Student Center. Members in attendance spoke about whether it is acceptable for women who become pregnant as a result of sexual assault to receive abortions. TPUSA has publicly promoted the idea that abortion is immoral, even for victims of assault. On the subject of COVID-19, Mehdipour sought accountability for alleged vaccine-related deaths and claimed the science behind wearing masks is fake. “Pfizer, Moderna, they are killing people with their vaccines,” he said. “Stuff that we’ve seen, it’s not a matter of opinion. It’s just [a] fact.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed nine deaths related to COVID-19 vaccinations. These were caused by rare blood clots after patients were injected with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. While Mehdipour clarified that his personal views do not represent
TPUSA, anti-vaccine and anti-abortion rhetoric is prominent in the organization’s literature. The TPUSA website has an entire page dedicated to platforming misinformation about vaccines, sharing stories that highlight claims about negative side effects. When it comes to TPUSA’s national controversies, abortion and vaccines are only the beginning. The organization is perhaps most famous for bringing big-name conservatives to college campuses across the country. Over the years, personalities such as Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, Kyle Rittenhouse and Milo Yiannopoulos have taken the stage for TPUSA. Since being acquitted of murder after shooting three and killing two protesters in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Rittenhouse has been a mainstay of the TPUSA live circuit. Yiannopoulos, who came under fire in 2017 after claiming that pedophilic relationships between younger boys and older men can be beneficial to young boys, has not worked with TPUSA since. In a New York Times article published after the controversy, though, Kirk clarified that his organization would only be taking a break from engaging with him directly. Multiple TPUSA live events have sparked large protests over the years, some escalating to violence. In March, two people were arrested and one police officer was injured when Kirk spoke at UC Davis. A See TURNING POINT USA, page 8
La ex atleta Riley Gaines habla ante una multitud compuesta por manifestantes y simpatizantes en el edificio HSS de la SF State el 6 de abril de 2023. Gaines visitó la SF State para el evento “Salvar los deportes de mujeres”, que fue organizado por Turning Point USA. Esta es una organización conservadora conocida por provocar reacciones intensas al invitar a oradores conservadores a universidades progresistas. Former athlete Riley Gaines speaks to a mixed crowd of protestors and supporters in SF State’s HSS building on April 6, 2023. Gaines visited SF State for a speaking event titled “Save Women’s Sports,” which was hosted by the SF State chapter of Turning Point USA. TPUSA is a conservative nonprofit known for provoking intense reactions by inviting conservative speakers to progressive universities. Photo: Joshua Carter / Golden Gate Xpress Aiden Brady
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Golden Gate Xpress
l 6 de abril, la SF State fue noticia nacional cuando la ex nadadora de la Universidad de Kentucky, Riley Gaines, se escondió de los activistas por los derechos de las personas transgénero en una sala atrincherada durante más de tres horas tras su polémico discurso sobre las mujeres trans en el deporte. Mientras los manifestantes fuera de la sala coreaban “Los derechos trans son derechos humanos”, Gaines tuiteó desde dentro: “Los presos dirigen el asilo en la SFSU”. El evento fue organizado Turning Point USA, una organización fundada en 2012 por el comentarista conservador Charlie Kirk. Mientras ésta afirma centrarse en la libertad, el libre mercado y un gobierno limitado, acapara la mayor atención cuando se trata de cuestiones candentes como el aborto, las vacunas y los derechos de los LGBTQ+. Con más de 600 secciones en universidades e institutos por todo el país, este semestre, la SF State se ha convertido en una más de esas escuelas. Su sección en esta universidad, creada por el estudiante de Artes de la
Radiodifusión y las Comunicaciones Electrónicas (BECA, por sus siglas en inglés), Navid Mehdipour, debutó durante la primera semana del semestre de primavera. Mehdipour dijo que había descubierto TPUSA cuando la organización estuvo de campaña en Diablo Valley College, la escuela a la que atendió previamente. En aquel momento no estaba muy involucrado en política, pero se alineó con las creencias conservadoras de esa organización. Esto ocurrió en la época de la presidencia de Donald Trump, y cuando Mehdipour expresó su apoyo por el ahora ex-presidente, se encontró con reacciones en contra. “¿Por qué se me está oprimiendo y atacando por mis ideas políticas?”, preguntó. “Sólo estoy diciendo algo como el resto del mundo. Sólo tengo un punto de vista; sólo tengo mis propias creencias”. Sus creencias, y de TPUSA, son generalmente polémicas. El 16 de marzo, Mehdipour organizó una reunión sobre el aborto en el Centro de Estudiantes César Chavez. Miembros presentes hablaron sobre si era acceptable que abortaran las mujeres embarazadas victimas de una agresión sexual. La TPUSA ha promovido publicamente que la idea del aborto es inmoral, incluso para esas víctimas. Vea SF STATE, página 9