Tulane University’s Turning Point USA chapter hosted a Prove Me Wrong event featuring Chloe Cole, a 21-year-old right-wing activist who speaks against gender-affirming care for minors based on her experience detransitioning.
The event was structured as an open forum intended to encourage dialogue between Cole and Tulane students in a designated tent on the campus’s academic quad, according to event advertisements.
Outside TPUSA’s tent on A Quad, supporters held signs reading “Trans kids don’t exist” and “Transgenderism is a mental illness and transitioning doesn’t help it.”
In addition to Cole and her team, representatives from Tulane’s TPUSA, Tulane administration and the Tulane University Police Department were present, monitoring the event
During the event, Cole shared her perspective on gender transitioning.
“I don’t condone people being mistreated for the lifestyle that they’re living,” Cole said. “But I also don’t think that this is a way of life that is beneficial. I know that it is something that causes quantifiable harm to the body.”
The event is one of several recent political events at Tulane. Last month, BridgeUSA hosted a debate between TPUSA and the Tulane College Democrats. In mid-April, Young Americans for Freedom hosted an event featuring a conservative North Korean defector discussing their experience.
“Tulane University is committed to creating an environment that supports and encourages open and vigorous dialogue and debate over a range of issues and from a variety of perspectives.” Tulane spokesperson Michael Strecker said. “As was evident yesterday, students are free to voice their opposition and counter-speech. “
The presence of these events reflects a broader trend across college campuses, where political engagement — particularly among conservative student groups — has become more visible. TPUSA specifically saw an increase in chapters and membership across college campuses nationally following the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the organization’s founder.
Tulane’s chapter of TPUSA was approved as a registered student organization this past January.