TPUSA is a danger to students and must be held accountable

On March 31, a group of Turning Point USA-affiliated students and outside agitators violently disrupted a Trans Day of Visibility demonstration, the latest incident in a clear pattern of behavior on the part of TPUSA. 

As an alum and former Student Government Chair of Diversity, Equity and Belonging, I am so disappointed by the way that TPUSA has been allowed to act with impunity. In October 2022, when TPUSA members harassed and threatened students at an event, I and many other students rang the alarm bells on the danger that TPUSA poses to students. We compiled evidence of disruptive conduct and harassment by TPUSA members and presented this evidence to the Student Organization Center and the Office of the Dean of Students, but this appears to have not been enough to warrant any reprimand on TPUSA as an organization. 

The fact that this has been happening and continues to happen, even with new leadership, shows that TPUSA as an organization simply cannot stop themselves from threatening students, and as such, they must face official consequences. Per the Student Code of Conduct, “student organizations are accountable for the conduct and actions of their members.” As such, when UTD TPUSA officers arrived with far-right provocateur Alex Stein and his crew, responsibility for the ensuing events falls squarely on TPUSA. 

Alex Stein’s camera crew explicitly threatened students participating in the demonstration, taunting them with slurs like “tranny,” “retard” and “faggot,” while flashing concealed firearms and threatening to punch students, seemingly to provoke a reaction. 

Under administration’s watch, I saw UTD fall from one of the best campuses in the country for queer and trans students to one that allows open attacks against trans students to be perpetrated by registered student organizations with complete impunity. To begin to rectify this, TPUSA must be officially sanctioned, its officers must face disciplinary action, and Alex Stein and all persons affiliated with him who were present on March 31 must be barred from entering campus. 

TPUSA must be officially dissolved as an organization at UTD. I know they have good lawyers, but I’m sure they can at least be barred from using campus facilities — including setting up booths on campus. Moreover, Paige Neumann and other TPUSA members should face official disciplinary proceedings for their roles in the attack against UTD students. 

In addition to barring Alex Stein and his crew from campus, an investigation should be conducted by UTDPD on who exactly the individual was who appeared to call Stein 15 minutes before his arrival, and what business this individual had on campus. Alex Stein, his crew and any individual affiliated with him who was present at the demonstration should be criminally charged with harassment, disorderly conduct and any other relevant charges, especially related to the alleged brandishing of a firearm. 

River B, Political Science B.A. ’22