WATCH: Conservative student invites Charlie Kirk to campus, gets targeted by leftists
Rodriguez discusses the backlash she received for hosting Charlie Kirk at Florida State University.
Megan Rodriguez, a former president of the Turning Point USA chapter at Florida State University (FSU), recently spoke with Campus Reform Student Reporter William Biagini about the challenges she faced for expressing her conservative views.
Rodriguez began by discussing the backlash she received for hosting Charlie Kirk at FSU in October 2022. “When you bring in a speaker like Charlie Kirk, you’re essentially inviting scrutiny,” she explained to Biagini. “I was aware of that from the outset.
After announcing the event, Rodriguez revealed that she received numerous death threats on social media, along with derogatory names. ”I was called various offensive names, including ‘gusano’ and ‘white supremacist,’” she said.
Biagini then inquired about the specific leftist groups involved in the protests against Kirk’s appearance on campus. Rodriguez identified them as a combination of FSU College Democrats and an organization known as Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Campus Reform has previously reported on SDS’s antagonism towards conservative students; for instance, in April 2022, members of SDS told Biagini to “die alone” and used other hateful language.
In closing, Biagini asked Rodriguez for advice she would give to conservative students hesitant to express their beliefs. “If you find yourself in a situation you think could escalate, make sure to record it,” she advised. “Don’t retaliate physically, as they are the ones causing the chaos in the first place.”
Rodriguez concluded by encouraging students to think independently. “Stand firm in your beliefs and don’t automatically accept what you’re told about the other side. Think for yourself,” she said.
