TPUSA Event: Sanders and Gaines on Women's Sports

[00:00:04]Thank you so much. It is uh an incredible honor to be here and it is always such a privilege to be on a college campus and especially to serve as the warm-up act for one of the brightest, smartest, most courageous, toughest activists anywhere in the country, my good friend Riley Gaines.

[00:00:26]And so I am honored to share this stage with her. And uh as you mentioned, I'm the youngest governor in the country.

[00:00:33]That's something I'm really proud of.

[00:00:35]However, my kids are a little bit tired of hearing that I'm the youngest governor in the country. I'm a mom to three. I have a 13-year-old daughter who's here with me tonight and two boys that are 12 and 10. And my son George was at an event with me not that long ago and he heard me get introduced as the youngest governor in the country.

[00:00:53]And I gave got up, I gave my speech and I sat back down and George goes, "Mom, are you really still the youngest governor in the country?" I said, "George, as a matter of fact, I am." And he looked at me, he goes, "Those other guys must be really old."

[00:01:08]But that's okay. You know, my kids, while they keep me humble, they also serve as a permanent reminder of everything that is important in this country. They serve as a permanent reminder at what's at stake. And that's why it's so important that each one of you have shown up here tonight because we need people who understand what's at stake. People who are willing to stand up for our values, who are willing to be unapologetic about what they believe and why they believe it. And there are very few people in this country who are more articulate and who are more forceful in defending our values than Riley Gaines.

[00:01:45]And that's why I'm so glad that she's here in Arkansas. As I mentioned, my daughter Scarlet is here with me tonight, and I love the fact that my daughter will get to hear Riley. One of the things I love most about her is she is somebody who defends and fights for the rights of women. I ask all the time, where are all the feminists? Because they seem to have forgotten what they started fighting for, and that was the rights for women to be individuals, to have opportunity. Let me tell you who hasn't forgotten that is Riley Gaines.

[00:02:20]Who else hasn't forgotten that is Donald Trump. Thankfully, we have a president now in the White House who understands and is willing to not just fight for women, but fight for every single American. And he does so in a way that is unapologetic and is forceful. And that's why it is so important that we continue to do our part because despite the fact he is doing an incredible job and is shaking things up and changing Washington and our entire global landscape, he can't do it alone. He needs people standing with him, fighting with him. And that's why what you're doing and what this organization is all about is so critically important. I'm proud of the fact that I have had the chance to be a part of this organization for a long time to speak at many of their events. But what really matters is not the big events, it's the small moments. And each one of you have a sphere of influence. You have friends.

[00:03:18]You have people that you come in contact with on a daily basis. You don't have to be on a big stage to have your voice be heard, but we need each and every one of you engaging and participating and standing with us and fighting for those values. So, thank you for showing up here tonight. Thank you for your incredible support. And I know that you are going to be encouraged, inspired, and motivated to continue fighting not just for our great state, but for our great country by my good friend who is a mom to a seven-week old. I can't tell you how incredible it is that she's here after having a baby only seven weeks ago. Um, but that is such just an incredible thing. It's one of the reasons I respect her so much and one of the reasons I wanted to make sure I was here tonight to welcome her. So, with that, I will turn it over to the amazing Riley Gaines. Please stand up and give her a warm Arkansas welcome.

[00:04:50]men and women are different. I don't know. It's kind of like the whole stick.

[00:04:55]Um, so thank you guys very much. and governor uh female strong female leadership uh is really really rare at any level federal state local level it's it's really few and far between uh so on behalf of myself and I can now say on behalf of my daughter uh thank you for defending the rights of women uh the safeguarding of children parental rights uh defending common sense really grateful for you it was a joy to be able to spend some time with you and your daughter Scarlet. Uh today, uh actually last time I was in Arkansas. I don't believe I've been back since. I was standing alongside the governor as she signed a resolution uh basically to just uphold state law to uphold Title 9. uh she was one of the very very few who was willing to openly and courageously defy pres or president Biden uh as he was he had rewritten title nine which title nine if you didn't know uh it is federal law that prevents sex-based discrimination within any educational program that receives federal funds. Uh, President Biden and his administration illegally and administratively rewrote Title 9 uh in its original implementation. Very brief, 37 words.

[00:06:17]Uh, his new rewrite over 1500 pages long. Uh, that should tell you everything that you need to know. Uh, but not happening here in the state of Arkansas. And now, of course, as mentioned, we have a president who has done work to restore Title N. Uh so very grateful for you and your efforts. I think we should give her a round of applause.

[00:06:48]As I said, I'm excited to be here. Uh I will say the reception that I've received, I would imagine many Turning Point chapters across the nation at schools all across the country. uh the reception that's been had uh especially these past 10 weeks it looks very different uh to that of which I saw in 2022 2023 very different landscape climate that we're living in uh as it pertains to the political social cultural climate uh now hopefully it's becoming a little less bold to be able to confidently say that there are only two sexes uh that you can't change your sex that each sex is deserving of equal opportunity of privacy and of safety. And why? I think especially these past 10 weeks. Uh like many of you, right? Um you probably watch videos on your TikTok or your reals uh of Charlie Kirk on college campuses standing behind a table that said, "Prove me wrong." Right? That was his whole mantra. They couldn't do that.

[00:07:51]Uh so what did the coward do? He he shot him. That that I will never forget.

[00:07:57]Right? It's one of those moments being only 25, there's not many uh of those times where you'll never forget where you were when you heard the news. One of those was when there was an assassination attempt on President Trump's life. Uh but 10 weeks ago, I'll never forget where I was when I had heard the news that Charlie Kirk had been shot only to later find out that he had been assassinated, murdered. Uh disbelief, right? Shock. Uh that shock kind of turned into the next day grief and being tearful. Uh then I'm not proud to say it, but it turned into anger. It turned into rage, right? Uh he's gone.

[00:08:35]How could something like this happen in such a great nation? Uh then you see the people celebrating this. Uh it turned into to anger. But I'll say being here uh I feel inspired and I feel really really hopeful uh for our generation and for what's to come. Uh little over a year ago uh we were a nation that was being led by a man who likely had no idea that he was leading a nation.

[00:09:06]Um, this was a old, scenile, cognitively unaware man who was the commander and chief to this great country, the leader of the free world. It's a pretty terrifying thought uh that things could have gone one of two ways nearly a year ago to the day. Uh, but praise God, Donald Trump won. People like you, people like me, we had our voices heard.

[00:09:31]We went to the ballot box. We said enough is enough. uh and praise God for it. Uh uh Governor mentioned some of the the winds that we have seen. I'll speak to just a few. Uh I got to stand alongside President Trump uh as he signed his executive order barring men from participating in women's sports, which it was one of the most amazing things, one of the coolest experiences uh that I've had to date where you have President Trump surrounded by a sea of young girls. like these are five, six, seven, eight year old girls and they're wearing their their jerseys or their uniforms or they've got their big bows in their hair that they wear on the soccer field. Uh that visual means more to me than I could possibly put into words. Uh we saw where on day one, President Trump signed an executive order declaring there are only two sexes, male and female. amazing that a sitting president uh has to exercise his executive power, his executive authority and declare such. But nonetheless uh I believe it's urgent that he did that. Uh we have seen the defunding of Planned Parenthood through the big beautiful bill uh which is a a really big win.

[00:10:44]This is a really sinister organization uh an organization a billion dollar business uh that receives $792 million annually of taxpayer dollars. your money, my money. And what they're doing with that money, uh, performing 400,000 abortions annually, that's about,00 a day. Uh, they're, of course, they promote gender ideology. They administer, uh, synthetic and unnatural chemicals and hormones to minors. They support the Democratic party politically. Uh, so this was a really big win. Uh, one more win that I can speak to that my family has been able to benefit from uh, since President Trump uh, was sworn in. Uh, my husband is here. He's the super tall British guy wearing the girl dad shirt who now living in Nashville has like this awesome country British accent. It rocks. Uh, he came over to the United States in 2018. He was an athlete at the University of Kentucky. That's where we met. uh we started dating. We got married in my senior year. Uh so in 2022, so we've been married for uh over three and a half years now. Uh and of course when you marry an alien, which is what I call him all the time, uh of course you have to go through the immigration process, right? This wasn't a shock to either of us. Uh we had an immigration lawyer. He tells us, "Look, you'll apply for your green card. It'll take six months, eight months max. No big deal. We do that. We wait six months. uh we wait a year, we wait a year and a half, two years, two and a half years. We had heard nothing from USCIS or immigration services under the previous administration.

[00:12:24]And so that's when we began to to reach out to inquire, you know, what's the holdup? Bear in mind, he was here legally the entire time. I've got all these people who comment on social media saying that, you know, I'm harboring an illegal alien or or whatever. Suddenly, I guess they're in favor of mass deportations.

[00:12:42]um he's here legally the entire time. It would be easier for them if they said uh they knew nothing about our legal immigration system and moved on with their day. Uh but nonetheless, we reach out. We inquire. What's the holdup?

[00:12:54]Every agency, every department, no one could point us in the right direction.

[00:12:58]Uh until finally, we get a a letter to our house uh that says in big bold letters, this was in January of this year, so so right before President Trump was inaugurated, uh it said request for evidence. And so I we open the letter, we read it. It says, "Uh, sorry, we can't give you your green card because your medical record is not complete. Uh, and what was missing from my husband's medical record in the year 2025?

[00:13:28]Uh, the ineffective, underresarch COVID vaccine. Uh, that's why they weren't willing to give him his green card. uh which I'm so grateful uh to have a husband who was just unwilling to compromise in that way. Uh and and very grateful that President Trump won. Uh he was sworn in in January.

[00:13:48]Give it 24 hours before you pick up the phone. Uh hey, did you know this mandate? This mandate that I would deem illegal is still in place nationwide. He said, "No, give me two hours." Uh, and literally within two hours, uh, it was not a a text or a call. I got a one of those like Fox News breaking alerts and it said, "President Trump vacates nationwide mandate requiring legal immigrants to get the COVID vaccine."

[00:14:13]Uh, which I'm certain that all the people crossing the border illegally had that vaccine, by the way. Um, so few months ago, really not long ago, we got this little green card in the mail.

[00:14:29]I don't know why I didn't think it was a green card. Spoiler alert, it's literally a green card. Um, and so it was kind of funny because we um I decided we would, you know, we'll we'll celebrate this. So I went to Publix, which is like our grocery store. Uh, they have a a bakery at the back. I go back to the cake decorator and I'm like, "Look, can you make a cake that says, "Congrats on not getting deported."

[00:14:55]And the cake decorator, like, he looks like he's seen a ghost. Like, he's staring at me and he's like, "Uh, well, I need to go talk to my boss in the back really quick." And he goes back there and he comes back and he says, "I can do it." Um, forgot the R and congrats. And so, it definitely said, "Congrats on not getting deported." Um, but nonetheless, we celebrated. Uh, I could speak to the wins and the success and the victories that we have seen the past year. Gosh, it's only been a year uh for for the rest of my aotted time. Uh, but I I guess I just mention those to say I'm not tired of winning. Uh, and we've got three more years. Uh, so really great news there. I'll just give you a very brief background on myself. uh how I have found myself here uh standing behind this podium speaking to you guys.

[00:15:46]Uh I was an athlete at the University of Kentucky which uh lifelong and very proud Tennessian. So didn't know I was going to go didn't really want to go to the University of Kentucky. Uh but I'm biased. Uh the SEC is in fact the best conference. I knew I was going to say somewhere in the SEC.

[00:16:09]took a couple trips uh took a trip to UK and I fell in love fell in love with the team and the campus and the resources that they poured into us outside of even just athletics uh into our academics and to our service. Both things that really mattered to me and so on committed there could not have been a better place for me. Uh very proudly finished my career there as a 12-time NCAA all-American uh a five-time SEC champion. uh actually the SEC record holder in the 200 butterfly, making me one of the fastest Americans of all time. Uh two-time Olympic trial qualifier, SEC scholar athlete of the year, SEC community service leader of the year that the list goes on, but just to highlight it's a lifelong journey. I probably don't have to explain that to many of you, right?

[00:16:54]Those of you who are athletes, uh maybe former athletes, parents of athletes, you get it. you understand the time, the hours, the dedication, the sacrifices that you have to make to compete and ultimately be successful at the highest level. Uh I was no different. I'll flash forward uh to my junior year of college.

[00:17:13]Uh ended up concluding my junior season by placing seventh in the country, which I was proud of. Uh to be top eight or all-American, it's it's a pretty high honor, but didn't go my best time. Uh I knew that I was capable of more. And so it was really right then and there placing seventh in the country my junior year that I set a goal for my senior year to win a national title which would of course mean becoming the fastest woman in the country in my respective event. And so senior year rolls around right on pace to achieve this goal.

[00:17:45]About midway through my senior season I was ranked third in the nation in the 200 free. Uh trailing the girl in second, a girl I knew very well by a few 100ths of a second. Those of you who swim, it's I mean it's very similar honestly to track and field. Like it's it's a sport that's measured in hundreds of a second. Very small margin. She was barely leading. Uh but the swimmer who was first in the nation uh by body lengths, might I add, was a swimmer that I'd never heard of before. None of us had ever heard of before. Uh and this was the first time we became aware of a swimmer named Leah Thomas.

[00:18:24]Lots of red flags at the time.

[00:18:26]Uh, keep in mind we hadn't seen a photo of this person or else things definitely would have been a little more clear. Uh, but for all we knew at the time, this was a senior from University of Pennsylvania, which is not a school that has ever historically produced that caliber of swimmer leading the nation again by body lengths and events ranging from the 100 freestyle, which is a sprint, all the freestyle events in between through the mile, which is long distance. I mean, none of it made sense.

[00:18:51]I'm scratching my head. I'm asking my coach, who is this? We had no idea. Uh, I looked up the name Leah Thomas. There was no history of this person until that season. Uh, we continued to stay in the dark until an article was posted uh, disclosing very briefly that Leah Thomas is actually Will Thomas and swam three years on the men's team at University of Pennsylvania before deciding to switch to the women's team in his senior year.

[00:19:18]I was shocked when I read this. Uh naturally again my entire team was shocked. Uh but really upon reading this uh it was almost like this overwhelming sense of relief like oh duh that makes sense. Uh this person's a man. Uh that feeling of relief was only further solidified when I went to look up who Will Thomas was because admittedly I was curious, you know, was this a lateral movement? Uh, was this someone who went from ranking amongst the best of the men to now continuing to rank amongst the best of the women? Uh, which is of course not what we saw. Uh, we saw that this was a very mediocre, that's actually probably generous, a less than average male swimmer competing at the division one level in his rightful category, the men's category, ranking in the 400s and 500s nationally the year prior to then just 12 months later, dominating every woman in the entire country. But again, uh, kind of why I say I felt relieved because I thought the NCAA would see it how I saw it. and how my teammates saw it and how my coaches saw it and how my parents saw it and how anyone with any amount of brain activity would probably comprehend this.

[00:20:35]Uh but lo and behold, the NCAA did not see it that way. They saw absolutely nothing wrong with this. And so about three weeks before that national championships, uh they released a statement saying that Thomas' participation in the women's category was a non-negotiable, meaning there was nothing we could do. Uh there were no questions that we could ask as women, as female athletes. No concerns that we could raise. Uh we were quite literally told we had to accept this with a smile on our face. Uh and so I watched that first day. It was a 500 freestyle, which is not an event that I typically do. And so I watched on the pool deck as he swam to a national title, uh beating out Olympians, beating out American record holders. I mean, keep in mind, they're not scrubs. These are the most impressive, accomplished, fastest female swimmers this world has ever seen. And he beat them all uh by body lengths uh making him the first man to win a division one NCAA women's title uh trailblazer. Second day of competition was the 200 free uh which is the event that he and I raced each other in. And so, you know, you you get on the blocks, that's, you know, the championship final, top eight women in the entire country, and I look over the lane next to me, uh, and there was what was very visibly a man, uh, standing at, it's like, it's like legit a South Park episode or like a Babylon B headline or like an SNL skit when SNL was kind of funny. Um, standing there, he's 6'4, uh, size 15 feet, taking up the entire diving block. uh visible from his side profile is not only his Adam's apple, but to be pretty explicit, uh which if we had to see it, I feel like you guys at least have to hear about it. Um the bulge in his women's swimsuit.

[00:22:29]Uh jump off, swim eight laps of freestyle, touch the wall at the end. I look up at the scoreboard behind me. Uh, and almost impossibly enough, uh, we had gone the exact same time down to the hundth of a second, meaning that we had tied, which, uh, is really rare, right?

[00:22:46]You're racing for a minute and 40ish seconds and not even 1/100th of a second separated us. Uh, which now looking back, uh, you can't tell me that's not divine intervention. Uh but anyways, we we get out of the water and we go behind the awards podium where the official looks at both him and me, him towering over me, and this official says, "Great job, you two, but you tied. Uh we don't account for ties. We only have one trophy, so we're going to give the trophy to Leah. Uh sorry, Riley, you just don't get one."

[00:23:16]I was so taken back in this moment, uh having just competed.

[00:23:22]uh my my heart rate was still high, my adrenaline was still pumping. And so the first thing that I thought end up being the first thing that I said uh first thought that I had uh was isn't this everything that Title N was passed to prevent from happening? You know, what do you mean you're going to give the trophy to the man in the women's 200 free?

[00:23:44]He didn't have an answer for that question. They didn't give him a script of what to say when someone asked why.

[00:23:51]And so, uh, I appreciate his honesty, the official, and understand this is when his face changed. He looked sad. He sounded sad. I could tell he didn't even believe what he was about to say, but the official looks at me and he says, "Riley, I'm so sorry, but we have been advised as an organization that when photos are being taken, it's crucial that the trophies in his hands. Uh, you can pose with this one, but you have to give yours back. Uh, he takes the trophy home, you go home empty-handed. End of story. Which, let let me just make the point. It was never about the tangible object, right? Uh, the little $5 production dinky trophies. Uh, being a 12-time All-American, I have lots of those at home. It was never about the the trophy itself. Of course not. It was the principle behind why they were doing what they were doing. It was very clear to me in that moment that we were being used as women uh to validate this man's feelings. We were being used entirely for a photo op. Uh and so it was really right then and there that I was done waiting for someone else. And I'm ashamed to say it. Uh I I would have always considered myself I mean I've always had first and foremost Christian beliefs uh which translated to conservative values. I would have always considered myself a leader from the time I was little all the way through. Um I'm ashamed to say that I was waiting for someone else, but I was. I was waiting for a coach to say something or someone within the NCAA or someone with political power, some other swimmer, someone's dad quite frankly, to come down there and yank this man out of our locker rooms uh like my dad so desperately wanted to do. I just naively believed all season that someone whose job it was to protect us would protect us. Uh, but standing on that podium holding this trophy, I knew I had to give back. Sharing my placement with a man standing eight, nine inches taller than me, I just had this realization of, you know, Riley, uh, how in the world can you expect someone to stand up for you if you're not even willing to stand up for you? Uh, this has to come from you all as women, as female athletes. Uh so that's kind of the unfairness of it which uh probably didn't have to explain in great detail as kindergarteners seem to understand the difference between boys and girls. Uh our former president did not but kindergarteners do. Uh but what you couldn't possibly grasp I don't think unless it's a situation that you found yourself in maybe a loved one or a sister or a daughter in is is what the locker room scene was like. Uh, which I mean swimming locker rooms not necessarily a place of modesty, right?

[00:26:39]These suits that you're putting on, they're paper thin, they're skin tight.

[00:26:43]It takes like 20 minutes to really poke and prod yourself into your racing suit.

[00:26:47]That's 20 minutes of what you're fully exposed. In locker rooms in general, they're not necessarily a comfortable place. Uh, but growing up a swimmer, you almost become comfortable being vulnerable in that environment. uh that vulnerability is stripped from you when you've got your back turned putting on your suit and all of a sudden you hear a man's voice and you like it's instinctual to cover yourself right with your hands or your clothes or your towel or whatever and I turn around and I have to look up because again he's so much taller than every girl in the locker room and there's a man taking off his women's swimsuit fully naked fully intact fully exposing himself uh inches away from where we were simultaneously fully undressed uh it's awkward, it's embarrassing, it's uncomfortable, it's humiliating. It was it was feelings of just total violation and betrayal. Uh so those two things along with the emotional blackmail that we faced as students, as student athletes, as female athletes to stay quiet all season.

[00:27:51]uh my university sent me to sensitivity training which didn't really work but I had to go to it uh where they sat me down a 21-year-old senior in college at the time and they taught me how to use she her pronouns in a sentence. I had to keep going through this training until verbatim they felt like I had been properly re-educated. Uh we were told things like you'll lose your scholarship if you speak about this. You'll lose your friends, you know, lifelong friends. Uh they won't want to talk to you anymore if you come out as a trans phobe. That's what they told us. Uh, you know, you'll never get a job. No employer is ever going to hire you. It's standard practice. They're going to look you up and they're going to see that that you're a bigot. Is it worth it to you? No. Just just be kind. Uh, Riley, you know, you want to go to dental school. No dental school will ever even look at your application if you speak about this. Uh, more outside profession.

[00:28:42]That's what they called them, outside professionals, never telling us their qualifications. and all women, ironically enough, who came in, sat our team down, and told us, "Look, girls, you know what? It sounds like you're advocating for, especially when it comes to the locker room. Sounds a lot like segregation." And you know who else advocated for segregation? Uh, the KKK and white supremacist. Is that the side of history that you want to be on, akin to racists and white supremacists? No, I don't think so.

[00:29:11]uh another outside professional who came in, sat the team down and said, "Girls, you know this rhetoric that you're using, understand someone somewhere could harm themselves because of it.

[00:29:24]Self-inflicted harm. It would be your fault. You would be responsible. That would make you responsible for potential death and that would make you a murderer. And you don't want to be a murderer. You know, you don't want to have blood on your hands, do you?" No.

[00:29:36]So, so be inclusive.

[00:29:38]uh participating in restorative justice circles where we learned about how we were the oppressors. He was the victim.

[00:29:44]He just wanted to be happy. We were impeding on his happiness. How could we live with ourselves? You know, some things matter more than than winning.

[00:29:51]Yes, you're playing at the division one level. And yes, you're at the national championship, the top 1% of the top 1% make it to this level, but winning isn't really all that important. His feelings trump your victory or potential victory or even chance to make the team.

[00:30:08]Uh that's why so few were willing to put their name or their face to this this issue initially. Not because they thought it was fair, not because they thought it was righteous or just or moral by any means, but because they were terrified. Uh and understandably so. Telling 18, 19, 20-year-old girls they're going to be racist and murderers. Uh believe it or not, that works.

[00:30:31]Uh all of that in in short, believe it or not, that's the in short version. Um that is how I have found myself here.

[00:30:38]And let me tell you a few of the things that I've learned over the past three-ish years. Uh first and foremost, I've learned that gender ideology is an evil lie. It is an evil lie from the pit of hell. Uh telling that ultimately leads to adults or or children for that matter cutting off healthy body parts. Let that really sink in. I don't think it will be long before we holistically as a as a society look back and accurately call that at least in regard to the medicalization side of things before we accurately call that what it is which is the biggest medical scandal this world has ever seen and a very very profitable one at that a lie that that leads to telling people that they're correct to feel as if they're born wrong. What a horrible message to send to to anyone telling them that they're correct to feel as if they're born wrong. No wonder, and I don't say this lightly, I say this with with a very like somber heart. It's tragic that there is such a a high suicide rate among this demographic. What do you expect when you're telling them they're right to feel as if they're wrong?

[00:31:48]Telling them that that God made a mistake when he created them. No, we it's very clear. I mean, go back to to the first book. He made the male and female intentionally and uniquely in his perfect image. And how amazing is it that we have a creator who doesn't make mistakes? There are few things more destructive, more more deceitful, more discouraging, more sinister than the gender ideology movement than cutting off healthy body parts. Uh, one of the things that I believe is more sinister actually, uh, is prematurely ending life before those healthy body parts ever even get a chance to develop. Uh, and I I say that now as a new mom, which is still like the coolest title ever. I can't get to I can't believe I get to call myself mom. I get to wear that hat.

[00:32:39]Um, I will never forget going into uh that first uh ultrasound appointment at 8 weeks and guess what? I heard her heartbeat and it beats just like yours does, just like mine does. Then going to the 20week anatomy scan, hearing the words, "It's a girl and you see these little tiny hands, little tiny feet, all of her her little features, her little, you know, cute button nose from her side profile." They were able to tell me at that appointment that she has a lot of hair, which is super cool. Uh the labor and delivery process, sounds weird, like the most magical experience ever. Like like transformative, I believe the most magical if you're blessed enough to be able to as a woman, the most magical experience you could possibly have. Uh now, of course, her being here, uh it makes a thought of of abortion like like hurt like deeply and and viscerally.

[00:33:34]Uh, I want to tell you guys why I feel encouraged. I mentioned seeing all of you uh and the commonality. This is something we've seen across the nation.

[00:33:43]Young people, Gen Z, both on high school campuses, college campuses turning out uh asking what they can do, how can they get involved, how can they have their voices heard, how can they live a life like Charlie Kirk did. Uh we've seen internally at Turning Point, gosh, I think there's upwards of 50 new chapters starting every single day. Uh we've seen donations off the chart from people who who have been giving uh financially and very generously. Uh Bible sales are up I think 36% last month. People have a stirring inside them uh to maybe open I did uh to open up your Bible maybe for the first time in a really long time.

[00:34:22]Going to church. Uh all really incredible things. I've mentioned some of the legislative winds that I've seen at the federal level that leave me feeling hopeful. Uh some that we've seen at the state level. Again, you have a fantastic governor. You guys should be really, really grateful. Uh that is few and far between. Even in states uh where there are governors with an R by their name. Uh I mean, I can think of a few uh who have vetoed similar legislation that would prevent boys uh from going into girls sports. Um Arkansas's really led the way. Actually, uh, Governor Huckabe Sanders was the first woman to sign an executive order, uh, declaring there are only two sexes before President, she did it before President Trump did it, which makes her even cooler. Um, 17 states have now done something similar. Uh, define the word woman in law. Can you believe we have to do that? Define. I mean, it's merely a definitional bill defining things like man, woman, boy, girl, male, female, mother, father. uh really shouldn't be too surprised actually considering we have a sitting Supreme Court justice who can't even answer the question of what is a woman because she claims she's not a biologist which guess what I'm not a veterinarian but I know what a dog is. It's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Um 27 states have passed some sort of fairness and women's sports bill. Uh we've seen boycots happening nationally.

[00:35:46]Uh emphasis on the word boy. uh where girls they get up to the net or or they step onto the the court or up to the line and they realize it's a boy next to them or the opposing team has a boy. Uh their setter is a a boy. And so we've seen teams of girls say, "Look, we know we may uh suffer if if we forfeit this game, we we know we may technically suffer a loss. Uh but some things matter more than winning. Uh, one of those things being reality, the truth, science, uh, our safety for that matter.

[00:36:22]Uh, so those boycots, they leave me feeling hopeful. We've seen lawsuits being filed uh, and successfully. We've seen corporations backing down uh, from some of the woke targeting or marketing strategies uh, that they've deployed in the past. Um, we've seen hospitals ending unregulated child butchery. Uh, they call it gender affirming care.

[00:36:47]There's nothing affirming about it. It is unregulated butchery.

[00:36:51]Uh, all that to say, these winds, they're fantastic. Uh, but this war on woke, it hasn't been won. You'd be very ill-informed or naive to believe that.

[00:37:04]Charlie's death actually is proof that this war on woke hasn't been won.

[00:37:09]So, we can't become complacent, which is really hard to do, especially living in a state where you're governed so well, right? You think it can't happen to me.

[00:37:18]We're immune to this stuff. Uh, we've got a Republican supermajority. We don't have to worry about this not happening here. I would imagine, you know, being on a college campus, you don't think that. I would imagine many of you have run into your fair share of even maybe selfcensorship. I'm not going to ask you to like raise your hand, but how many of you have been in some sort of English course or comm's course or literature, language, whatever, where you've been tasked to write maybe a persuasive essay and you feel like you have to change your position on a topic to ultimately receive a good grade, right? So, I I would imagine you guys know that no one is immune to to this movement, uh this cultural chaos, it's plagued our country.

[00:38:03]Let's take a brief second really quick.

[00:38:28]I'd encourage you to say a brief prayer um amongst yourself.

[00:38:54]They're giving me a thumbs up. Things look good. Um, thank you guys for quickly being there.

[00:39:04]Um, and thank you to let let's say thank you to our law enforcement as well.

[00:39:08]They've done a really fantastic job.

[00:39:18]Uh I don't know if you guys have noticed um maybe standing in this room or or outside, but uh they've got it locked down. We're very safe in here. So, thank you. Uh which it's amazing to me that this position that I've taken is considered brave, right? Or courageous.

[00:39:36]Let me tell you, I don't feel brave. I I really don't I don't I don't say that as like I I really don't there should be nothing brave or courageous about what I've spent the the past half hour saying. Uh no, what's brave is our law enforcement officers or our US military members or our first responders. That's what bravery is. Uh so thank you guys very very much. Uh but to to just I guess make the point uh we can't become complacent. The other side doesn't. They don't allow themselves to be steamrolled. They don't just roll over.

[00:40:06]They continue on with full force, full steam ahead. No signs of slowing down.

[00:40:11]Uh actually, they're really doubling down. They're leaning in to their radical, extreme, insane, destructive, dangerous policies. Obviously, we saw what happened in New York City, uh what, a week or two ago, where a self-described Muslim socialist is now the the mayoral elect, uh to one of the great actually probably the greatest and most uh influential cities this nation has, especially as it pertains to capitalism, which is kind of ironic. Um, and these mainstream Democrats, they're getting behind him. So, so no, this isn't like a fringe. Like, this is like the face of the Democratic party. Again, that should terrify you. Look at what happened in Virginia recently uh where their new attorney general, which is this the state's top law enforcement officer, uh I believe he engaged in the most extreme and violent rhetoric uh that we have seen from a major party candidate at of any race at any level and saying that he wishes to watch the children of his political opponents die in their parents' arms. And guess what?

[00:41:22]He won.

[00:41:24]That is a condemnation of of humanity really. Uh AOC's comments towards me maybe a week or two ago actually right before it was right before mom Donnie won which of course he was a shoe in right uh I took this photo or I posted this photo that was taken at one of the rallies one of mom Donniey's rallies prior to the election. It was him, Bernie Sanders, uh, and AOC on stage.

[00:41:49]And so I posted it to my ex account. And I said something to the effect of like, "Socialism is bad. I wish we had examples of this." Uh, posted it. AOC commented, quote, tweeted it. And she said, "Maybe if you channeled all of this anger into swimming, you would have swam faster, placed higher," whatever she said. Which is so funny because if you were to ask her, she would tell you that she's a feminist. Where are the feminists? Not in the Democratic party.

[00:42:18]Uh so I was set to go on Fox News that evening uh with with Laura Ingram. She asked me about this exchange. Uh rather than mudslinging or calling names or stooping to AOC's level, I thought to myself, what would Charlie do? Uh he debated ideas. Uh he encouraged uh independent thought, civil discourse.

[00:42:39]And so I said on Fox, uh, look, AOC, I would love to to, you know, be able to hash this out in a debate. Of course, I knew she would never agree to this, but I said, you can defend socialism. I'll defend capitalism. You can defend child sacrifice. I'll defend the sanctity of life. You can defend any of the insane policies, the platform of the Democratic Party, and I'll defend the opposite. To which she then took that clip of me challenging her to a debate, and she says, I challenge you to get a real job.

[00:43:07]which was hilarious because at the time the government was shut down. So I actually think it was her who didn't have a job.

[00:43:16]Totally nonsensical and entirely false, right? There are many different things that I do for work. No, not conventional and honestly doesn't feel like work because I feel so deeply passionate about it. Uh but let me tell you the most fulfilling and rewarding and satisfactory and purposeful job that I have is being a mom. And that's what I I said back to her. And I said, "I know you don't have kids. You don't have a daughter like we do, but I would imagine that if you did, maybe doubtful just given how selfabsorbed and narcissistic, maybe you would feel a little differently about boys in her locker room. Uh, so Waron woke it has not yet be been won." Um, this is never where I saw myself to be honest with you. Not what I planned, right? How could you?

[00:44:05]Uh, I was in dental school after college. Uh, actually set to specialize in indidonics, which is root canals.

[00:44:12]Weirdly enough, that's what I prepared for. That's what I studied in school.

[00:44:16]Uh, took the DAT, the dental admissions test, scored in the top percentile nationally. Could have gone anywhere that I wanted to go to pursue dentistry.

[00:44:23]Had been awarded tens of thousands of dollars in scholarship funds. Accepted my seat. Um, not what I thought I was going to be doing. This 180. I knew nothing about our government.

[00:44:33]Truthfully, I never had to take a government course at any point in my life. Uh, knew we had three branches.

[00:44:40]Didn't know what they did. I still don't really know what they do. I don't even think they know what they do, actually.

[00:44:46]Um, public speaking courses, which were required, weirdly enough. Uh, my face turned the color of a tomato.

[00:44:54]Uh, not what I prepared for, but I I was just really wrong in assuming that that's how God works.

[00:45:00]uh that he calls those who are already prepared. Uh actually quite the contrary, he prepares those who he calls. Uh and if he brings you to something, he'll certainly bring you through it. Uh so trust is calling for you. Would love the opportunity to answer any questions. Um I don't know if there's a a format, but again, very grateful. Um it makes me super excited to see this. uh when we pulled up in the parking lot to see the the line whose truck was that out there with like the super cool banner that rocked. Um so very grateful for for you guys and to the Turning Point chapter. If you're here and you're not involved with this university's Turning Point chapter, I would highly highly highly recommend uh the thing that the things that they're meeting about, talking about, uh all really, really critical uh not just to the time period that we're living in now. Uh but topics that will translate far beyond your time in college. Uh so would highly recommend you guys getting involved um at this chapter. I know there are some other chapters who are present um from surrounding schools in the area. So, highly highly recommend.

[00:46:17]>> We're matching Thanks.

[00:46:51]Sit right there.

[00:47:07]Okay.

[00:47:16]>> Yeah.

[00:47:22]>> Hi, my name is Mason Moore. I'm the president of the Arkansas Tech University chapter over in Russellville.

[00:47:28]So, shout out to the guy there.

[00:47:33]As a conservative who has arguably an overcompetitive girlfriend, you're an inspiration to me, to her, to the ladies in our chapter, and what I'm trying to get at with asking this and saying this, you're an inspiration to many, and you have a lot of support. Have you ever considered running for political office?

[00:47:51]Respectfully, I'm not that crazy yet.

[00:47:56]God bless the people who do because we need them. Uh and truthfully, like when you see them, say thank you for your service because they are they are servants to to the people. Um I don't know. I think eventually down the road, uh it would be something that I would I would consider. Uh but honestly what I find to be I I was actually just explaining this um to to governor before walking back here. What I find to be much more effective and impactful and influential and and uh I guess things that you can benefits that you can reap u sometimes even immediately is getting involved at the local level. Uh so I serve on my county's uh public library board. Super fun. Uh I didn't know we had one of those truthfully. uh but looking for ways to get involved. Uh of course they were dealing with issues and topics that I feel very uh passionately about. One of those being keeping pornographic and sexually explicit material uh not easily and read readily accessible to children with being funded by our taxpayer dollars. Uh so I took issue with this but rather than complaining about it, I figured why don't I just join and do something about it. So, uh, that's where for sure I think my focus is at this point, but nonetheless, just as important, I believe. So, thank you.

[00:49:21]>> Uh, thank you so much. I'm Gage Figureroa. I'm a sophomore here at UCA, and I just wanted to ask, why is it a war on Wil? Shouldn't we kind of love our neighbors? Isn't that like civic engagement kind of what we want to shoot for?

[00:49:31]>> Yeah, I mean, you you can dub it as you will. Uh, I think that's just kind of what it's historically been uh referred to over the past few years. Uh, when you have people on social media, uh, I mean, conservative influencers, if you will, uh, posting like we're so back or or, you know, whatever. Uh, my point in saying that was just I don't believe that. I don't think that that this again cultural chaos that's really plagued this nation, I don't think it's done.

[00:50:00]Uh, I think it's again full seam ahead.

[00:50:03]Uh, so call it what you will. Um, but that that was kind of my point in that.

[00:50:08]>> I just think maybe there's like potentially harm by like calling another group of people like destructive, insane. Like maybe we should just work to collaborate and talk to them instead of >> so we definitely shouldn't call them Nazis or Hitler or fascists or >> I'm not saying like I don't represent any like sort of group, but it's like maybe this kind of otherism is why like things are the way that they are. I agree. Um I don't think though we hear all the time from the other side of the aisle that words are violence. I don't believe that. I don't think words are violence. Um so I don't see much of an issue in saying that. I can think of several times where rhetoric um if if that's the word we want to use has been taken literally uh and it's come from the other side. Uh it wasn't too long ago that I was in San Francisco, which was kind of my first mistake going to San Francisco. Uh but I went to San Francisco State University um as it's been a passion of mine to to speak to college age students. And so I went there and a group of protesters, hundreds of them, uh they rushed in the back door, they turned the lights off, they ambushed me like fully accosted, ended up holding me for ransom for essentially uh I mean just about five hours demanding that if I wanted to make it back home to see my family safely again, I had to pay them money. And the whole time they were on the other side of the door, I was locked in this room.

[00:51:31]They were on the other side. They kept chanting. One side, again, there was a ton of people out there. One side of the hallway would chant, uh, trans rights are under attack. The other side would chant back, "What do we do? We fight back." And I found this to be interesting as I was sitting there behind this door, it's like midnight at this point, because just that day, the day, actually, it was the day before, it was the former press secretary, uh, Karine Jean Pierre, who had said in a a press briefing, uh, she said, "The trans community, they're resilient. They fight back." They took that verbiage literally. Uh, and ultimately, again, what did they do with that? I mean, they like kidnapped me. Uh, so if we're talking about who takes verbiage and phrases and words literally, I think that's more so coming from the other side.

[00:52:22]>> And I got one more like less complicated question. Why do you think the women like kind of in your league or even like Simone Biles like aren't standing with you? And like why do you think there's kind of a a confrontation between women on as to like why people can compete or not compete in these sports?

[00:52:35]>> Well, it's interesting uh because Simone Biles and the like uh Megan Rapino, she she came out today and said something to the effect of like, you know, I I think the people who want to protect sports or or whatever they're doing under the guise of protecting sports really, they're just scared. They're scared of of people who identify as transgender. I just want to make the point that no one would know who Megan Rapino is uh or Simone Biles or Venus and Serena Williams or Caitlyn Clark if they if a protected female category did not exist.

[00:53:08]Uh so do I believe it's like a moral obligation for these these successful incredibly talented successful women to defend the rights of other women? Not necessarily. Uh, but I think it's worth noting they wouldn't have the careers or the fame or or the money or whatever insert it if it weren't for protected female categories. So I think there's a lot of irony in women not standing up especially those who who are professional athletes.

[00:53:37]>> So then what does like mission accomplished for you on this like war against woke like look like?

[00:53:41]>> Well on this issue the issue of men and women's sports it would be no men in women's sports. It's it's really that basic and and you have people who ask you know like well what about you know what's the solution? The solution is just that. Uh a third category we we see people uh throw around this idea. It wouldn't work. Uh they've tried uh specific sport governing bodies like FINA or World Aquatics. They created a third category uh for people like uh Thomas to compete in uh for those who are gender non-conforming or non-binary or say they're something other than what they are. Uh guess what? Thomas went on to sue because he said, "If I can't trample on women in the process, I don't actually want to play the sport at all."

[00:54:23]Uh, and then I thought to myself, I initially believed that a third category would be a good idea, right? It's a way to prioritize safety number one, fairness number two, while I guess prioritizing inclusion. But then I thought to myself, sports are inclusive.

[00:54:37]Like, like sports are inclusive in their true nature. Anyone can play sports.

[00:54:41]Everyone should play sports. I'm the biggest advocate for playing sports. no matter who you are, no matter what identity factor uh that that you may present. Um it's what's given me the leadership to do what I do, playing sports. It taught me how to set goals and work to achieve those goals. All things that are beneficial in this this fight that we're fighting now. Um so everyone should play sports, but what is not inclusive is competition. Uh it's exclusive. That's not a bad thing. Uh it's exclusive.

[00:55:09]I mean in the words definition, you have a winner. And when you have a winner, someone is going to be excluded. Um, then it's like a third category. Okay, we don't have any other categories based on an identity factor. We don't have one based on religion or the color of your skin. And guess what? We should not. Uh, then I' like, okay, if we had a third category, you would still very much have men competing against women. Uh, so do you further break it down between, you know, having a category for men who identify as women and women who identify as men? And then do you even further break it down between, you know, those who began puberty blockers before puberty and and who started puberty blockers after puberty? No way. So the solution for this issue is men compete with men, women compete with women.

[00:55:50]>> Well, thank you so much. Thank you so much to our governor who is the biggest Nepo baby that I know. Thank you so much.

[00:55:56]>> Thanks for being here.

[00:55:59]>> Um hello, I'm Malia. I just wanted to ask um how have you been able to balance being a new mother and a wife and also just influencing um our generation specifically and do you have any advice on those that do want to promote um the ideas of a nuclear family traditional and Christian values specifically in the college you know scene?

[00:56:20]>> Absolutely. Again I will say being a mom is the best. uh your perspective on everything shifts. Uh and I will say now, especially having a daughter, uh it's no longer about me, right? Uh I think when we went through what we did, you have that personal experience and and you I mean we were directly negatively impacted. Guess what? I I don't it's not about me. I'm fighting for my daughter. Uh there's nothing, as I as I said previously, more rewarding or purposeful than that right there. Uh, how I'm able to balance this. Uh, I will say we have been blessed with I'm like knocking on wood. Uh, our daughter's actually perfect. So, um, she like sleeps 22 hours a day. She sleeps through the night. She doesn't cry. And I know all you parents in the room are like, "Oh, you just wait. I'm waiting."

[00:57:13]Uh, but now, uh, she's like portable and she goes with me and it rocks. Uh there's uh Supreme Court is is uh ultimately hearing a title N case which will be pretty monumental uh in interpreting this uh this this federal law. Uh it's being heard in January. I expect to be right outside those Supreme Court steps with my daughter in tow uh understanding that it's her future that we're fighting for. Uh so at this stage it's it's been good to balance and I will say one of the things that really helps me that I feel like I've I've been able to develop uh and and kind of fine-tune over the past few years uh in dealing with with stress. I don't let a lot of things get to me really. Uh you know the cards fall as they will. Um I understand that which it can be hard. you have a lot of people commenting different things and and on your social media saying I mean just horrific violent awful graphic things.

[00:58:17]Uh but I understand that nothing of this world matters uh I'm fighting for the hope and the promise of eternal life.

[00:58:24]And I think once you you you really realize that uh it makes it easy to to do what I have found myself doing and to stand up for the beliefs that I've been standing up for.

[00:58:36]>> Thank you.

[00:58:36]>> Yeah. Thank you.

[00:58:42]Hi. Uh, my name is Bradley. Uh, and it's so is such an honor uh to get to talk to you tonight. And uh I was wondering um what are your thoughts on because we've seen a lot of trouble in the department of education with everything that's been going on with that and you know as a new mom you don't want your child to go through the kind of things that they're teaching kids in public schools. Um, and so I was wondering what are your thoughts? Um, and what are your visions on homeschooling as the future of education for kids?

[00:59:18]>> Because I know a lot of people say like, "Yo, your kids not going to be cool if they don't go and be in this environment because I I've been in all the environments and I've seen how they all work." And it just seems like people are more authentic when they spend more time with their nuclear family. And so are we going to maybe see more of that in the future? Um what are your thoughts on that? And do you think TPUSA will be making any explicit efforts to provide those opportunities to families in the future?

[00:59:46]>> Yes. Uh first as it as it pertains to Turning Point, uh they have this awesome program called Turning Point or TPUSA Education. Would highly recommend uh looking into it. uh maybe not as applicable to this room, but if you have younger siblings or if you're a parent, uh really awesome stuff, the curriculum that they're putting out there. So again, that's Turning Point USA education, just like they have different arms like Turning Point USA Faith, uh other arms there. Highly recommend looking into that. So Turning Point has absolutely made efforts on that front.

[01:00:18]Uh first and foremost, I'm in full support of abolishing the Department of Education entirely. Uh this was a campaign promise actually of President Trump and he made uh moves this week to to help further that goal that mission along in delegating some of the responsibilities of the DOE to other agencies to other departments. This is fantastic news. I believe that education should ultimately first and foremost be up to parents. So that being said, big supporter of school choice. I believe the education should be up to parents uh and brought back to the state and local levels. Why is someone in Washington DC uh who's sitting behind a desk getting paid probably a pretty glamorous salary that you and I are paying for by the way why are they uh I guess writing the curriculum and and etc etc fill in the blank of what's going on to a student in Oregon if you will. It doesn't make sense. Return that uh authority and that power back to the states. Big supporter of that. Now, for homeschooling, uh I think we've seen a big shift over the past I mean decade or so where parents it's it's more mainstream uh to homeschool your child now aso as opposed to it was even five years ago probably because of of uh the filth and the indoctrination that we're seeing in public schools. Uh so that is I think a good thing. You have more people questioning asking questions is a good thing. Uh so uh I don't know what we'll do with our daughter. Uh I think classical education is another uh good resource. Uh but the public schools change even from I have a little sister who's 17. She's a junior in high school.

[01:01:59]Uh and what she tells me, you know, that that's going on at her school, whether it's what they're learning, what they're not learning, uh you know, vaping in the bathroom. I mean, all these these crazy things that that weren't really happening when I was in in high school.

[01:02:11]So, uh, definitely a conversation that we're going to have. Do I think I would be the best homeschool teacher? I don't know about that. That might be my husband's job. He might be the teacher, but we'll see. So, yeah, I appreciate your question.

[01:02:26]>> All right. Thank you so much.

[01:02:33]>> Hi, my name is Mary. I'm a junior here at UCA. I first wanted to thank you for coming out here to our wonderful campus.

[01:02:39]I just have one question for you this evening. So you were quoted to saying that the gender ideology movement is like a house of cards that is lying on the sports issue. So basically if we take care of the sports issue then it will crumble. I specifically wanted to ask you since there is a small number of trans athletes in sports as a general whole but also in the NCAA.

[01:02:59]What is it about the sports programs that makes it like cause the gender ideology movement to crumble if we take care of it? Well, I think it's where the the difference is the most stark and obvious, right? Again, literally picture that South Park episode where you've got this big burly man with a full beard standing on top the podium like pushing the the women off the podium. It it's that's like not even meant to be funny anymore. That's what we're seeing. And I think it's it's easy or at least it should be easy for everyone regardless of your political beliefs, regardless of of of anything else to look at that and call it what it is, which is discrimination and it's discrimination against women. Uh so I believe if we're able to in sports say that okay uh no in this aspect of in this realm of of life and society, no trans women aren't women. They have to compete in a different category. Uh I you can't have trans women be men here and trans women be women here. Uh I believe that's where we will see the the needle really be effective and move and ultimately again ending the practice of the medicalization side of things uh preventing men from going into women's prisons which let me tell you I've talked to incarcerated women in prisons in uh New Jersey and California which like of course in California uh Washington uh Minnesota. I've talked to women who uh and oftentimes these are women who have uh been I mean history of being abused by men uh women in these facilities uh who then allow men into them which the quickest way uh for a man to get into a woman's prison in these states is to literally just say I am a woman.

[01:04:42]They're getting access to these prisons uh which sounds awesome to a rapist by the way. Uh and what they're doing is they're raping these women. I've talked to women who have become impregnated by men in women's prisons. I've talked to women who have now contracted HIV and AIDS because it was rampant in the men's prisons. These men are now coming over to their facilities and again having intercourse with these women causing HIV and AIDS to run rampant in the women's prison. So hopefully that is something that we see ending. Uh there there are lots of realms of society where I don't think this uh of course should be practiced or allowed and I think it's a sports issue. If we are able to say there, no, these these individuals aren't actually women, I think it will transcend to other realms of of life as well.

[01:05:25]>> Thank you so much.

[01:05:26]>> Thanks. Yeah, thanks for being here.

[01:05:31]>> Well, hi Riley. My name is Kaden. Uh I'm a journalism major here at UC. I'm a senior here. First and foremost, thank you so much for coming to the campus. uh thank you for talking with us and I really admire your fight for women's sports and protecting uh women worldwide and and countrywide for sure on standing up for for what is right. So I thank you for that. A little background on my question. I'm a like I mentioned I'm a journalism major here at UCA and in a lot of ways I view you as a journalist.

[01:06:00]So the journalism department here is very liberalheavy. Uh I've noticed over my three and a half years they would rather bash conservative views but not give a reason as to why. So I just want to ask you as a journalist also a devout Christ follower. Is there advice that you would give me as I p as I pursue this profession?

[01:06:19]>> Yeah. First and it sounds pretty cliche but be unapologetically who you are uh in stating your beliefs.

[01:06:28]It's a really really rare trait especially in journalism. Uh I've talked to so many like I said who you feel like you have to change uh and oftentimes you do actually you do actually have to change your your topic or your stance on an issue to receive a good grade. You feel like you have to play the game.

[01:06:44]What I will say on this front and what we have seen be successful is drawing attention to these professors or staff or universities that allow for this viewpoint discrimination which I don't use that lightly. If you even if it's self-censorship, if you ultimately would have points docked, and I've talked to people who have, there was a girl at University of Cincinnati who received a zero on her paper because she used the word biological woman when referring to women. Uh the woman the professor said that that let me think. She said that word reinforces cis heteronormativity.

[01:07:22]I don't even know what that means. And she gave this girl a zero on her assignment. That that's viewpoint discrimination. What works in this effort is drawing attention. That's been proven. That's what people like. Libs of Tik Tok. I don't know if you guys follow Libs of Tik Tok on social media. That's what she does really well. She basically just holds a mirror up to the actions and the words of other people and oftentimes that results in real change.

[01:07:50]uh we saw even after f following Charlie's death where you have whether it was government workers or teachers uh who were celebrating this uh imposing about it resulted in resignations or firings or or something to the effect.

[01:08:05]Uh so public pressure works the public is on our side on these issues. Reach out uh to me or or to anyone here at this chapter uh and getting attention again whether it's local on social media. Uh that's how I think we see real change and I would imagine there's many people who feel like you in your class too but they're scared to say it and understandably so. Uh so find those people, lean on each other and I think in doing that uh you'll have the support um to stand up for yourself and to stand up for many.

[01:08:35]>> Uh there's also one more thing I like that you bring up maybe changing views.

[01:08:39]I actually went against that norm my sophomore year.

[01:08:45]Uh, I actually went against that norm my sophomore year and wrote a paper about you standing up for women's sports and and uh going against Leah Thomas. Made an A on it, by the way. Didn't have to didn't have to change my viewpoint, but I just like that you brought that up.

[01:08:58]Thank you.

[01:08:58]>> Absolutely. Well, thank you.

[01:09:02]>> Last question.

[01:09:06]>> This is the last question.

[01:09:09]>> Hey Riley, just thank you for being here. I'm Joshua Cobb, a chapter president at Harding University. So, what's up y'all?

[01:09:15]>> Um, I'm also a division 2 football athlete. So, it came straight after practice. Come here.

[01:09:20]>> Nice life of an athlete.

[01:09:21]>> Yeah, I loved uh how you talked about like sports being important. So important. Um, but my question is more on like the spiritual side of things. So we talked about in our chapter meeting yesterday um about how do we view the LGBTQ uh from like what the Bible says and what the Bible says it's it's very clear but we have to come at it with like kindness and love because what you said like depression rates like that's that's a big deal like you don't play around with that. Um, so what point does this turn to like all hands- on deck spiritual battle? And how do people like me, people like everyone out here get more acquainted to uh being rooted in their Bible, rooted in their faith? Um, to come at this more of a spiritual side of things than like a political side of things.

[01:10:01]>> Well, you ask what point does it turn there? Let me tell you, we are there.

[01:10:05]Uh, we have been there. I think of verses like Isaiah 5:20, right?

[01:10:09]uh evil is good, good is evil, bitter is sweet, uh dark is light, like like we're there. Uh there's no doubt about that.

[01:10:18]Uh now, how we approach this as Christians, um I think we do it just as Christ himself did. Uh this is something that I initially I mean even still I find myself struggling with because this topic uh specifically of of men in women's sports or men claiming to be women like it seems so entry level, right? It seems so common sense. you just want to shake people. How don't you see it the way I see it? Uh, but of course I understand that that's not the way things are, especially in regards to elected representation and and the way the media portrays this issue. They they very much make it seem as if it's, you know, 50/50, very partisan, which let me tell you, that's not the truth, by the way. Anyways, I I believe we approach this like Christ himself did. Um, with grace, leading with grace and landing with truth. Uh I think of stories like uh first John the adulterous woman, the woman who sins to be stoned. Uh Jesus appears. He says those without sin cast the first stone. Guess what? That's his perfect display of grace. Uh but oftentimes culture in our society leaves out what happens next in that story. Uh you think of I mean the Super Bowl commercial maybe a year ago. think it's he gets us and it has these Christlike figures washing the feet of sinners outside of Planned Parenthoods or abortion clinics or or homeless people.

[01:11:35]And again, that's biblically accurate.

[01:11:37]Uh but they left out what happens next.

[01:11:39]Uh when Jesus then tells the woman, "Now go and sin no more." That's him leading with grace but landing with truth. And hear me when I say there is nothing more loving than speaking the truth. Uh we hear these buzzwords all the time like empathy and compassion. one of those governors with an R by their names that I I mentioned previously, the governor of Ohio, Governor DeWine, uh he was one who initially vetoed a bill. It was HB68 in the state of Ohio uh that would end these hospitals performing these procedures, castrations and sterilization on minors. And in this this veto in his press conference, he said, "I just want to be compassionate."

[01:12:21]Who does he think he's being compassionate to? because he's not being compassionate to anyone. He's not being compassionate to to women, to children.

[01:12:29]He's not being compassionate to those who identify as trans. The most loving thing you can do is tell them the truth.

[01:12:35]That that's what affirmation is. Um and that's what I believe. That's what I know actually is is loving. So, >> Amen. I agree with that as well.

[01:12:46]>> Well, thank you guys. And thank you guys for being here.