On September 10, Utah Valley University hosted a debate organized by TPUSA, a U.S. nonprofit that promotes a conservative agenda in schools, colleges, and universities.
The format is straightforward: any student can approach 31-year-old Charlie Kirk and challenge him in an open debate. These events are presented under the title “Prove Me Wrong.”
Among the American right, this format has become a visible political tool. Well-known conservatives argue with students who are not always prepared to defend their views in detail, and the most dramatic exchanges then spread quickly across social media and go viral.
Kirk himself has posted such clips, using combative headlines claiming he had “destroyed” an opponent’s argument or taught them a “lesson.”
The appearance in Utah was meant to be only one stop on his campus tour. About twenty minutes had passed since the event began. Kirk was sitting under a canopy in a T-shirt reading Freedom, while hundreds of students gathered around him.
One attendee asked how many shootings in the United States had been committed by transgender people. Kirk replied:
“Too many.”
As the article’s author notes, that claim does not match the data: from 2013 to 2025, transgender people were responsible for five out of 5,729 shootings in the United States, or 0.087% of all such incidents.