Rep. Gino Bulso, a Williamson County Republican, claims that a man who repeatedly denigrated women of color on his podcast “encouraged everyone to love others.”
Bulso sponsored the “Charlie Kirk Act” which aims to prevent Christian Nationalist and white supremacist speakers from facing backlash on college campuses. Yes, Bulso wants Tennessee college campuses to be a more welcoming environment for men like Kirk who, like David duke, cloaked their racism not in a white hood, but in a suit and smooth talk.
WPLN reports on Bulso’s effort to protect future Kirks:
HB 1476/ SB 1741 would require colleges and universities to sign the University of Chicago’s policy on freedom of speech — and prohibit administrations from uninviting a speaker based on their opposition to abortion or LGBTQ rights.
Meanwhile, the state’s leading Democratic candidate for Governor, Jerri Green, says she’ll work to keep Kirk’s “Turning Point USA” political clubs off of Tennessee high school campuses.
Public schools exist to serve all students—regardless of race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, or political belief. Organizations that are allowed into these spaces must meet that same standard. Turning Point has repeatedly demonstrated practices and messaging that many educators, civil rights advocates, and families view as discriminatory and exclusionary. Its public rhetoric has too often targeted marginalized groups, framed diversity and inclusion efforts as threats, and promoted ideological litmus tests that chill open discussion rather than encourage it. That approach undermines the fundamental mission of public education: to create safe, inclusive environments where students can learn to think critically and engage respectfully with differing views.
