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Turning Point USA is now free to operate at a Catholic college in Indiana four years after students first tried to start the club.
Saint Mary’s College in South Bend approved the TPUSA club as an extension of the College Republican’s chapter near the end of last semester, the Irish Rover reported.
The decision came after four years of battling at the women’s college. (The picture is of the group tabling with University of Notre Dame students). As The College Fix previously reported, school administrators denied the club’s application in 2023 because it believes there are only two sexes. However, efforts to start the club stretch back to 2021.
The Fix previously reported:
Dean of Students Gloria Jenkins and Vice President of Enrollment Lori Johnson referenced an archive of stories where TPUSA reported on LGBT issues, such as men competing in women’s sports. Jenkins and Johnson also pointed to shirts sold by the national conservative group that it considered “anti-trans” because it states that “Real Men Aren’t Women.”
Jenkins said the group’s “messaging around LGBTQ+ issues [does] not align with the mission and values of Saint Mary’s.” That same year, the bishop of South Bend had to intervene to stop the college from letting gender-confused males move into the women’s college.
The Fix contacted school officials several times last week seeking comment on the club’s approval and what changed their mind.
The Fix filled out a media request form on Feb. 5 and left a voicemail with Tess Hayes in media relations on Friday, February 6. The Fix also emailed the listed address for the marketing department, but that email bounced.
Neither Johnson nor Jenkins responded to an email on Feb. 6 that asked for their views on the approval and why they opposed the club since its views on gender were the same as the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church teaches that there are two sexes, male and female. It also explicitly forbids common surgeries that a gender-confused individual might undergo, as The Fix previously reported. “Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which lists dogmas and doctrines of the faith, states.
The new group hosted a veteran and Fox News host Joey Jones, according to the Rover.
“After four years of fighting for recognition on campus, conservative[s] at Saint Mary’s have finally been liberated from the chains of progressive censorship through the recent approval of the Turning Point USA chapter,” chapter President Maci Gunnell told the conservative student publication. “There was no better way to celebrate than to bring my friend and Fox News host Joey Jones to share his patriotic, empowering story of overcoming adversity.”
Jones, a Marine Corps veteran, “was severely injured by an improvised explosive device, resulting in the loss of both legs above the knee, damage to his right forearm, and injuries to both wrists,” while serving overseas, according to the Rover.
A Catholic leader said it is “deeply disappointing” that Turning Point USA had to wait so long for approval.
“I find it deeply disappointing that Saint Mary’s College presents itself as a Catholic institution, yet for years blocked recognition of conservative, pro-life student groups that uphold basic moral truth,” John Ritchie told The Fix via email. He is the director of TFP Student Action, which fights for Catholic values.
Ritchie noted the college proudly platformed a pro-abortion former Irish president who now criticizes Catholicism.
He stated:
What makes this even more disturbing is that the college rolled out the red carpet for Dr. Mary McAleese—a politician whose actions helped pave the way for expanded abortion access and who has openly opposed core Church teachings—by naming her the 2025 commencement speaker and awarding her an honorary degree.
Turning Point USA was denied recognition after being labeled ‘hateful’ for affirming a basic biological reality: that human beings are male and female. Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s openly promotes an LGBTQ+ Center and student club dedicated to gender ideology and the sin of pride.
Ritchie highlighted the “glaring” “contradiction” at the college.
“Faithful Catholic students are shut out, while abortion advocacy and gender ideology are embraced,” he said.
The Catholic leader said Catholic education must be about following God not “the world.”
“Thankfully, more and more young Catholics are choosing God and opposing the lies of the world,” Ritchie said. “Let’s pray for them.”
Editor’s note: Former College Fix reporter Claire Bettag was part of the initial efforts to get the club approved.
