Chloe Cole, a prominent activist advocating against gender-affirming care for minors, claims that Texas Christian University (TCU) prevented her from speaking on campus, alleging discrimination against conservative and Christian events. However, TCU officials refuted her claims, stating the event was never officially scheduled.
Cole reported that she was invited to speak at an October 7 event organized by TCU’s Turning Point USA chapter. Following TCU’s refusal to provide a venue, she took to social media to express her concerns, which attracted attention from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, who both pledged to investigate the situation. Paxton criticized the university’s actions, stating, “This doesn’t look like free speech to me. I’m going to look into this.”
In response, TCU’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Kathy Cavins-Tull, clarified that the university did not cancel the event since it had never been booked. She explained that the venue requested after September 18 was already allocated for another student activity. Although TCU explored alternative options, they notified the group on September 25 that a secure space was unavailable on short notice but offered to assist in finding another date.
Cole, who identifies as a woman after previously identifying as a transgender male, is part of the “detransition” movement and has embarked on a speaking tour to promote her message against “gender ideology.” She expressed frustration over being denied access to available venues on TCU’s campus and perceived this as part of a broader trend discouraging conservative discourse while facilitating liberal events more readily.
Cole’s upcoming speaking engagement is rescheduled to take place at Birchman Baptist Church in Fort Worth, where she expects a turnout of around 2,000 attendees. This event is part of her series of talks, which coincides with broader conversations on free speech and free expression on college campuses in Texas, especially in light of recent events surrounding the assassination of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk.
The TCU incident underscores ongoing tensions in academic settings regarding the expression of varying political ideologies, with significant implications for how universities manage event scheduling and uphold principles of free speech. Both Paxton and Roy’s involvement signals an increasing scrutiny on how educational institutions navigate these complex issues.