BUZZ
Decision came after significant public pressure
Utah Valley University will no longer honor an educator who called Charlie Kirk “bigoted” soon after someone murdered the Turning Point USA founder at the Orem campus.
The public university announced that author and educator Sharon McMahon would no longer be the graduation speaker this spring, following “increased safety concerns.”
On Sept. 12, 2025, just two days after an assassin brutally murdered Kirk during an on-campus event, McMahon posted on Instagram a series of quotes from stating: “These aren’t sound bites taken out of context. Millions of people feel they were harmed, and the murder that was horrific and should never have happened does not magically erase what was said or done.”
Her thread argued that Kirk said horrible things about black and LGBTQ people, as well as women, claiming he promulgated “bigoted ideas on a stage that reached tens of millions.”
“It’s important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words, and the ensuing actions his followers took,” she wrote.
The selection of McMahon had drawn criticism from the campus Turning Point USA club, who lived through the horrific murder during an event they hosted:
Hours immediately after Charlie’s assassination, Sharon McMahon posted a now deleted series of out-of-context quotes from Charlie in an effort to tarnish his name and minimize the tragedy, rather than offering condolences or condemning political violence.
While universities should welcome diverse viewpoints, platforming someone who treated a historic and tragic political assassination not as a moment to grieve but as an opportunity to create content is tone-deaf and disrespectful to those still affected, especially on this campus.
There are countless better alternatives, and the fact that the university is choosing McMahon is entirely disappointing to all of us still reeling from his loss. I couldn’t be more disappointed in this university for such a hurtful and callous decision.
Utah Republican Congressman Burgess Owens had also criticized the selection of McMahon, calling it “not just wrong” but “morally bankrupt.”
McMahon for her part said she always condemned Kirk’s killing.
“Sharon unequivocally condemned the murder of Charlie Kirk, repeatedly and publicly calling his death a tragedy and stressing that public debate must never be met with violence,” a media statement read. “Sharon’s goal is to unpack what is happening in society and help people understand how government works.”
MORE: Bills to honor Charlie Kirk on college campuses up for debate in several states
