Utah Valley University’s bid for a soothing end to a brutal year has instead reignited a fight over free speech, safety, and the legacy of Charlie Kirk. The New York Times reports that the school rescinded its commencement invitation to Sharon McMahon, a popular nonfiction author known as “America’s Government Teacher,” after resurfaced social media posts in which she both mourned the conservative activist’s on-campus assassination last fall and criticized some of his past remarks as being bigoted. Those posts, later deleted, infuriated many of Kirk’s supporters, who accused the university of disrespecting his memory by having McMahon speak at next Monday’s ceremony and flooded officials with complaints, amplified by Sen. Mike Lee and other Republicans.
UVU cited security concerns in pulling the plug and noted the decision was made in conjunction with McMahon, per Axios. The university’s president, Astrid Tuminez, said the threats and intimidation surrounding the dispute forced administrators to weigh free-expression principles against the safety of graduates and guests. The author, who has spoken at the campus before and was publicly praised by Tuminez as “a force for good,” said she sees herself as the target of a coordinated “cancellation” and stands by her comments, noting she was quoting Kirk’s own words, per the Times.
Turning Point USA’s campus chapter, however, called the original choice of McMahon “hurtful,” while one of Kirk’s podcast co-hosts noted, “They’re just laughing in our face.” Both Axios and the Salt Lake Tribune report that the graduation ceremony will now have no featured speaker. In a statement to both outlets, a McMahon spokesperson reiterated that the author “unequivocally condemned” Kirk’s murder, noting that she’d “repeatedly and publicly [called] his death a tragedy and [stressed] that public debate must never be met with violence.”
