At a September 11th memorable ceremony held at the Pentagon on Thursday, President Donald Trump announced that right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk would be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Kirk was assassinated 24 hours ago at Utah Valley University and told the crowd about the points of conservative stories.
The 31-year-old conservative commentator is best known for establishing Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that sought to build a solid, conservative youth movement. He has earned notoriety for his unwavering loyalty to Trump, his vast defending of the Second Amendment rights and his opposition to LGBTQ rights. Conservatives and far-right supporters have risen rapidly to Kirk’s position since his death.
“Before we start, let us express the fear and sadness that many Americans feel about Charlie Kirk’s vicious assassination,” Trump said. “Charlie was a giant of his generation, a freedom champion and an inspiration for millions of people.”
For now, there are no indications when the awards ceremony will take place, but Trump said, “I can only guarantee one thing to you and we can guarantee that we have a very large crowd.”
Many Kirk believes that on behalf of the two-time designated president, he helped Trump return to the White House in 2024 by mobilizing young voters, especially young men.
Kirk’s attitude towards LGBTQ rights was a central part of his political brand.
Oversifel v. A landmark Supreme Court ruling requiring same-sex marriage, Hodges’ solid opponent, Kirk often used inflammatory rhetoric to urge full erosion of LGBTQ rights.
As the host of Salem Radio Network’s “The Charlie Kirk Show,” he frequently denounced trans people and their supporters “diseases.” He also suggested that they should “take care of them like things in the 1950s and 60s.” It is an indication that many critics interpret as references to lobotomy, shock therapy, and forced institutionalization.
Kirk often surrounded his vision through the lens of “Christian values.”
On his YouTube channel, he evoked the Bible passages and at one point cited Leviticus 20:13, claiming that the gay stone call reflected “the perfect law of God.”
The Washington Blade contacted several LGBTQ advocacy organizations to comment on Trump’s decision to honor Kirk, a man who has been widely criticized for his hostility towards the LGBTQ community. Instead, many focused on denounceing the violence that ended his life.
“Political violence is unacceptable and there is no place in this country,” Human Rights Campaign President Kelly Robinson said in an email. “We can’t accept the epidemic of gun violence like normal. We can’t live like this.”
Florida LGBTQ+ Democrat Caucus President Kristen Brode, with 21 chapters statewide, has become one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ caucuses, reflecting those feelings while pointing out the consequences of Kirk’s rhetoric.
“For some reason, political violence is wrong. Gun violence is wrong for some reason. Do you spend your life, incite violence, demonize your political enemy? Do you attack someone else? And when violence cannot follow such behavior, I recommend fighting it.”
According to the video, Kirk was filmed seconds after he began answering questions about the number of “transgenders,” who are heads of “mass shooting,” and replied that “too much.”
On Thursday evening, Kirk’s murderers remained all over. The FBI identifies people interested in the investigation and offers a $100,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
