Turning Points Visits Cal Poly Humboldt to Lobby for a Local Chapter, Opposition Responds with Rainbows and a Band

Yesterday afternoon, at the quad on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus, a conflict between conservative lobby group Turning Points USA (TPUSA), and a dance party showing all the colors of the rainbow, showcased the difficulty in balancing the right to free speech.

Our newsroom was alerted to the gathering by an email from a student’s parent who expressed concern about a possible free speech infringement occurring on campus. Upon arrival, we observed a band playing a mix of rock tunes as students danced, while others engaged in discussions near the TPUSA table.

The group of about two dozen students, and some faculty members, enjoyed rock tunes offered by a student band that somewhat obscured the table of the conservative group, the loud music making discussion at the TPUSA table difficult. 

Cal Poly Humboldt was visited by Turning Points USA this week, which had members lobbying on campus, despite rain and loud marching band tunes played in close proximity. [All photos by Ryan Hutson]

According to the TPUSA website, the group has established a network of nationwide TPUSA chapters, “activism hubs” and “Faith groups” across 3,500 campuses. One of those Chapters is at McKinleyville High, according to the website’s interactive map. 

A Screenshot from Turning Points USA’s website shows markers in various school campuses, including at McKinleyville High School.

The TPUSA table offered pocket-sized pamphlets detailing the US Constitution, alongside various political slogans on buttons, reading, “got speech?”, “Socialism Sucks!”, “HEAL OUR HEALTH – HEAL OUR COUNTRY” and “FREE THE First!” 

We approached the TPUSA representatives to discuss their program messaging, and how it was received by the campus community. However, no one from the group was willing to speak with us on camera during the live stream or at any point during the event.

A person holds a sign near the TPUSA table reading “Before you engage, know her goal is to rage bait you!” which we’re told was a warning to students that were inclined to engage with political activist Chloe Cole.

The presence of TPUSA was scrutinized at Cal Poly by several students present for its efforts to recruit high school and college students to lobby in favor of government policies which they described as “discriminatory” and “bigoted”, such as the Trump Administration’s recent executive orders which have “targeted transgender and nonbinary people,” as described in a report by PBS. 

Political activist Chloe Cole – known for her outspoken stance against gender-affirming care for minors – was present with TPUSA at their information table, talking with students who had approached her for conversation.  Cole had begun transitioning at age 12 and then began detransitioning at age 17 after taking LSD. After asking to speak with the group to learn more about what brought them to the campus this week and if they were able to convey their message effectively, we were informed by a member of the tabling group that they declined to be interviewed.  

Dr. Rouhollah Aghasalleh of Cal Poly’s School of Education is seen here speaking with Chloe Cole, at the Turning Points USA table on Wednesday.

We spoke to one student rallying with the band, who explained that students in opposition to the conservative lobbying group had gathered there in a show of solidarity for LGBTQ peers on campus. Asking not to be identified, the student offered their perspective while standing near the brass section, between the Turning Points table and the musicians. 

Asking not to be shown on camera, they explained during the live stream what had inspired them to arrive in front of the TPUSA informational table. The student spoke from beneath a hooded raincoat as musicians dodged raindrops and dancing students twirled across the impromptu dancefloor, “basically they’re a very right wing group who are very anti-trans and anti-queer, anti-gay… and this is a very, like, queer campus and so we’re basically just out here having fun playing music and stuff.” 

Students hold signs protesting the TPUSA lobby in front of their information table on the quad Wednesday afternoon, one reads “TRANS PEOPLE ARE WELCOME, BIGOTS ARE NOT.”

Explaining why they felt the need to be loud and proud, the student added, “We are happy being queer, and these people – it’s not even just that they even won’t have a conversation – they don’t want queer people to exist at all, but we are happy as ourselves, and we are queer.” 

Wanting to make it clear to the TPUSA group, as well as to those students on campus who may have felt marginalized by TPUSA’s messaging related to anti-queer politics, that although the conservative group has the right to present their perspectives on campus per free speech protocol, their queer peers and allies among students and staff were ready to show support in the face of growing political strife. 

The gathering at Cal Poly Humboldt reflected the political tension impacting both groups. 

While demonstrators framed their actions as a celebration of inclusivity and resistance to what they view as discriminatory rhetoric, their loud and energetic presence also effectively diminished TPUSA’s ability to engage with others. 

At the same time, TPUSA, which was aware of our presence and had the opportunity to articulate its message, declined to engage with the media. In a setting where both sides sought to assert their positions, the decision to remain silent left their perspective largely absent from the broader conversation.

We reached out for comment from Cal Poly Humboldt but did not receive a response before publishing.