❓WHAT HAPPENED: A student at Oklahoma State University (OSU) was reprimanded for wearing a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) hat during a student government meeting.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: OSU junior John Wilson and a coordinator of the Student Government Association program.
📍WHEN & WHERE: September 10, 2025, at an Oklahoma State University Student Government Association meeting.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Idea and conversation is what built this country, and it’s what should maintain it. And that’s what the hat was there for.” – John Wilson
🎯IMPACT: The incident raises questions about free speech and political expression on college campuses.
A student leader at Oklahoma State University (OSU) says he was reprimanded by a staff member after wearing a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) hat while delivering a tribute to Charlie Kirk during a Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on September 10, 2025. John Wilson, president of the OSU Debate Society and a member of the student government, wore the hat, a gift from Kirk, as he addressed fellow students following the conservative commentator’s assassination earlier that day.
Wilson described Kirk as “a father, a husband, a devout Christian, and a shining light for so many,” and condemned the killing as “horrendous and vile, just as political violence of any kind is.” He urged students to engage in open dialogue, saying such conversations were essential to the country’s foundation.
Although the remarks reportedly received applause, Wilson says he was later confronted by the SGA program coordinator, who objected to the hat. According to a recording provided to the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, she told him that her family, who “don’t look like you,” were upset by what the hat represented. Wilson replied that his intention was to highlight the value of open discussion, saying, “Idea and conversation is what built this country, and it’s what should maintain it. And that’s what the hat was there for.”
When the coordinator raised her identity, he noted his own Native American ancestry. He says he was warned that his stance could make the year “difficult” for him, which he interpreted as a threat. OSU later stated that while student government is traditionally nonpartisan, no campus rules prohibit partisan expression. Civil liberties advocates expressed concern that the reprimand could chill student speech.
The dispute unfolded amid intense national reaction to Kirk’s murder, with many leftists attacking him. Author Stephen King issued a limited apology after falsely claiming Kirk had supported executing gay people, acknowledging he had misinterpreted remarks about biblical law.
In Britain, the Oxford Union’s president-elect was voted out of his position after messages surfaced showing him celebrating the assassination. Comedian Trevor Noah also faced criticism after joking that it was “funny” that Kirk was shot while defending gun rights.
In Congress, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) claimed she felt for Kirk’s family but asserted that he had “no legacy to honor,” labeling him a promoter of hate. A subsequent Republican attempt to censure her failed.
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