Charlie Kirk vs. transgender people

Charlie Kirk was a right-wing writer, cultural commentator, and anti-transgender activist. Kirk founded anti-trans group Turning Point USA in 2012.

In 2023 Kirk stated, “The one issue I think that is so against our senses, so against the natural law, and dare I say, a throbbing middle finger to God, is the transgender thing happening in America right now.”

Background

Charles James “Charlie” Kirk was born on October 14, 1993. Kirk grew up in Arlington Heights and Prospect Heights, Illinois and attended Wheeling High School. Kirk briefly attended Harper College before dropping out to pursue conservative activism.

Kirk was an evangelical Christian. In May 2021, Kirk married Erika Frantzve (born 1988). The couple’s first child was born in August 2022, and the second was born in May 2024.

Kirk was shot and killed on September 10, 2025 at a rally in Utah.

Anti-trans activism

Kirk wrote for conservative publications Breitbart, TownHall, Newsweek, Epoch Times, Frontpage Magazine, Free Republic, The Paladin, Fox News and Blaze Media.

Kirk wrote books including The MAGA Doctrine (2020), which supports Donald Trump’s policies and political movement.

Kirk hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, Turning Point Live, and Charlie Kirk Today. A February 2023 Brookings Institution study found Kirk’s podcast contained the second-highest proportion of false, misleading and unsubstantiated statements among 36,603 episodes produced by 79 prominent political podcasters.

Kirk was known for staging “debates” with trans people and their supporters. These “debates” as entertainment would get hundreds of thousands of views.

Selected anti-trans comments by Kirk

On March 13, 2022, Kirk said:

“So, one of the reasons why we take such a strong stance and opinion on the trans issue is it’s an issue of reality. You do not get to determine your own reality. You do not get to suddenly say, I’m rich or I’m poor. No, we actually have to look at some evidence as to whether or not you’re rich or poor. […] And one of the reasons we’ve been so insistent against this idea you can change your gender, or change your sex, or change both of them, is that when you start to indulge in the belief that you could become whatever you want and reality is subjective, not objective, you’re going to have ramifications that nobody anticipated or intended. So, there’s a direct connection to inflation and the trans issue.”

On September 13, 2024 at an event at Kansas State University, Kirk said:

“Transgenderism is a mental disorder […] I want people who are suffering from transgenderism to get health and care because I have compassion for people.”

A trans audience member then asked: “I’m wondering what is your, I guess, care plan for people who do identify as transgender?” Kirk promoted anti-trans conversion therapy:

“It’s what it [treatment] used to be, and it worked great, which is to get you in alignment with the body that God gave you. […] Taking hormones or doing surgery is trying to address a symptom, not the cause … and what we’ve seen over the last 20 years is what works is through therapy, through psych counseling, that there might be an underlying traumatic event that makes you think that you are a man in a female body. … You’re chasing something that you’re never going to find.”

In a conversation on April 20, 2025 on Club Random with anti-trans entertainer Bill Maher, Kirk and Maher discussed their anti-trans views:

Kirk: “I believe that transgenderism is a mental disorder as was diagnosed in the–“
Maher: “So you don’t believe any people are born ‘in the wrong body?'”
Kirk: “No, I don’t think that.”
Maher: “No?”
Kirk: “I think people might think they are born in a different body, but I believe it to be a mental disorder, as most of clinicians did until up to about five or ten years ago.”
Maher: “Well, this is another one where the woke hates me.”

References

Reed, Erin (September 11, 2025). We Must Not Posthumously Sanitize Charlie Kirk’s Hateful Life. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/we-must-not-posthumously-sanitize

Staff report (September 10, 2025). Charlie Kirk is killed in shooting at Utah College. New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09/10/us/charlie-kirk-shot-utah

Cadelago, Christopher (March 6, 2025). Gavin Newsom breaks with Democrats on trans athletes in sports. Politico https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/06/gavin-newsom-breaks-with-democrats-on-trans-athletes-in-sports-00215436

Forey, Jaiden; Shaw Elijah (May 6, 2025). Charlie Kirk and Riley Gaines event at San Francisco State University met with protest. Golden Gate Express https://goldengatexpress.org/111828/campus/charlie-kirk-and-riley-gaines-event-at-san-francisco-state-university-met-with-protest/

Amos, Jaden (March 6, 2025). Newsom calls trans athletes in sports “unfair” in podcast with Charlie Kirk. Axios https://www.axios.com/2025/03/06/gavin-newsom-charlie-kirk-podcast-trans-sports

Reed, Erin (March 06, 2025). CA Gov Gavin Newsom “Completely Aligns” With Charlie Kirk On Trans Issues In Podcast. Erin In The Morning https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/ca-gov-gavin-newsom-completely-aligns

McCalmon, Meredith; Bertelsen, Cole (September 20, 2024). Charlie Kirk’s audio cut on campus. Kansas State Collegian https://kstatecollegian.com/2024/09/20/charlie-kirks-audio-cut-on-campus/

Staff report (April 1, 2024). Charlie Kirk: “We must ban trans-affirming care — the entire country. Donald Trump needs to run on this issue.” Media Matters for America https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-we-must-ban-trans-affirming-care-entire-country-donald-trump-needs-run

Thompson, Stuart A. (February 9, 2023). Steve Bannon’s Podcast Is Top Misinformation Spreader, Study Says. New York TImes https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/09/technology/podcasts-steve-bannon-war-room-misinformation.html

Staff report (April 13, 2022). Charlie Kirk blames trans people for inflation: “There’s a direct connection to inflation and the trans issue.” https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-blames-trans-people-inflation-theres-direct-connection-inflation-and?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Selected anti-trans writing by Kirk and staff

Charlie Kirk Staff (Mar 6, 2025) — Newsom Breaks With Democrats, Calls Transgender Athletes in Women’s Sports ‘Deeply Unfair’
https://www.charliekirk.com/news/newsom-breaks-with-democrats-calls-transgender-athletes-in-womens-sports-deeply-unfair

Charlie Kirk Staff (Oct 15, 2022) — Trio of Detransitioned Young People Call School Board Meeting to Warn Of Transgender Ideology
https://charliekirk.com/news/trio-of-detransitioned-youth-call-school

Charlie Kirk Staff (Oct 15, 2022) — Biden Admin’s Transgender Policies Come Under Withering Assault: ‘This Is An Attack … On All Women’
https://charliekirk.com/news/biden-admins-transgender-policies

Charlie Kirk Staff (Apr 15, 2022) — Transgender Psychologist Agrees Rise In ‘Trans’ Kids Has Become Alarming, Calls It ‘Trendy’
https://charliekirk.com/news/transgender-psychologist

Charlie Kirk Staff (Jan 25, 2022) — Transgender Woman Fights To Keep Women’s Sports For Biological Women
https://charliekirk.com/news/transgender-woman

Charlie Kirk Staff (Jan 18, 2022) — Sports Must ‘Be Played on Even Playing Field’: Olympic Swimming Legend Michael Phelps Addresses Transgender Controversy
https://charliekirk.com/news/sports-must

Charlie Kirk Staff (Aug 2, 2021) — American Medical Association Says Remove Sex From Public Birth Certificates
https://charliekirk.com/news/american-medical-association-says-remove-sex-from-public-birth-certificates

Charlie Kirk Staff (Jul 29, 2021) — ‘Woke’ Medical Field Could Prove Deadly; Schools Focus on Pronouns, Denying Biological Sex
https://charliekirk.com/news/woke-medical-field-could-prove-deadly-schools-focus-on-pronouns-denying-biological-sex

Charlie Kirk Staff (Jul 12, 2021) — Medical Journal: Parents ‘Should Lose Veto Power’ Over ‘Transition-Related Pediatric Care’
https://charliekirk.com/news/medical-journal-parents-should-lose-veto-power-over-transition-related-pediatric-care

Kirk, Charlie (October 14, 2021). On Sexual Anarchy. American Mind / Claremont Institute https://americanmind.org/salvo/on-sexual-anarchy/

Books

Kirk, Charlie (2024). Right Wing Revolution: How to Beat the Woke and Save the West. Winning Team Publishing, ISBN 978-1735503790

Kirk, Charlie (2022). The College Scam: How America’s Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America’s Youth. Winning Team Publishing, ISBN 978-1735503738

Kirk, Charlie (2020). The MAGA Doctrine: The Only Ideas That Will Win the Future. Broadside Books, ISBN 978-0062974686

Kirk, Charlie; Hamachek, Brent (2016). Time for a Turning Point: Setting a Course Toward Free Markets and Limited Government for Future Generations. Post Hill Press ISBN 978-1682612477

Media

Charlie Kirk (Aug 10, 2025). Rainbow Clad Trans Activists Won’t Stop Yelling Nonsense at Me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGIc8ygpHKw

Turning Point UK (May 4, 2025). ‘Trans-Man’ Rage Quits After Charlie Kirk Schools Them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1eaxs4JaRg

Charlie Kirk (Mar 7, 2025). FULL Charlie Kirk + Gavin Newsom VIRAL Interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3A7fg23dz4

Turning Point UK (Oct 10, 2024). Charlie Kirk Decimates Radical ‘Transsexual’ Activist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytnu06RNkyA

Jubilee (Sep 8, 2024). Can 25 Liberal College Students Outsmart 1 Conservative? (feat. Charlie Kirk) | Surrounded. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV29R1M25n8

Turning Point UK (May 10, 2023). Charlie Kirk Savagely Picks Apart Student Trans-Activist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY6aQ2zOo94

Turning Point UK (Apr 9, 2023). Charlie Kirk Crushes Woke Pro-Trans Feminist Leftist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehe4rluGquI

Turning Point UK (Mar 24, 2023). Charlie Kirk Crushes Pro-Trans Student Activist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h-ZEkPXs9Q

Turning Point UK (Mar 20, 2023). Charlie Kirk Embarrasses Left-Wing Pro-Trans Mob. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0WqeWTuaJI

Turning Point UK (Mar 26, 2023). Charlie Kirk Wrecks Deluded Pro-Trans Long-Haired Hippy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNcRmQeu7uU

Turning Point UK (Nov 6, 2022). Charlie Kirk Smashes Radical Pro-Trans Student. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqaGZYImNVU

Turning Point USA (Jun 23, 2022). Charlie Kirk Debates Trans Marxist Ben Carollo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVLukS4qLRE

Turning Point USA (Mar 24, 2022). Charlie Kirk Vs. Transsexual Buck Angel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Imr0K7_q0iM

Turning Point UK (Oct 24, 2021). Charlie Kirk: I’m not paying for your gender surgery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3azeumZME0

Trinity Broadcasting Network with Charlie Kirk, John McArthur, Jack Hibbs, Erika Brown, Cynthia Monteleone and Kara Dansky (Feb 11, 2022). Identity And Gender with Charlie Kirk. https://www.erininthemorning.com/p/ca-gov-gavin-newsom-completely-aligns