Turning Point Bars Reporters From Chloe Cole Event
Turning Point USA's Chico State club barred reporters from a Monday event featuring conservative speaker Chloe Cole.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Lecture and Seminars
Live Poll
Should colleges host debates on gender-affirming care for minors, even with controversial speakers?
Turning Point USA's Chico State club hosted a 'Prove Me Wrong' event featuring Chloe Cole in the Gauntlet on Monday, where students and community members were given a microphone to debate her. That evening, the group barred reporters from a separate 'Pick Up The Mic' event with Cole in the Bell Memorial Union, despite earlier assurances that reporters would be allowed.
Why it matters
The episode highlights tensions over press access at campus political events, where organizers' earlier assurances were reversed on the day of the event. It also brings attention to Cole, a self-described detransitioner whose public account of gender-affirming care is central to her speaking engagements.
Cole, a conservative speaker, has described beginning hormone replacement therapy at age 13 and receiving a double mastectomy just before turning 16. The extraction does not state attendance figures for the Bell Memorial Union event or the organizers' stated reasons for barring press.
The players
Turning Point USA
A conservative student political organization that runs chapters on college campuses across the United States, including at Chico State.
Chloe Cole
A conservative speaker and self-described detransitioner who has publicly criticized gender-affirming medical care for minors.
The details
At the Gauntlet on Chico State's campus, the 'Prove Me Wrong' format gave students and community members a microphone to debate Cole directly. Reporters were later abruptly barred from the Bell Memorial Union event, which Turning Point USA leadership had previously said would be open to press.
Timeline
Monday: 'Prove Me Wrong' event held in the Gauntlet.
Monday evening: 'Pick Up The Mic' event held in Bell Memorial Union; reporters barred.
Season Trajectory
Turning Point USA's campus tour has built its events around open microphone formats that invite audience challenge. The reversal on press access at Chico State marks a departure from that open-format approach.
Students and community members who wanted to attend the Bell Memorial Union event could not do so once reporters were barred, limiting public access to the discussion. The 'Prove Me Wrong' format, by contrast, let attendees speak directly with Cole.
The takeaway
Campus events that promise open access can change format on short notice, so readers following a speaker or event should check whether press and public access are confirmed before attending. Both the speaker's public statements and the host organization's own accounts are worth comparing.
Further reading
For more on campus speaking events, see the Lecture and Seminars section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Orion.
Live Poll
Should colleges host debates on gender-affirming care for minors, even with controversial speakers?
