Protests, drag show await anti-trans speaker at Purdue

Michael Knowles, a Daily Wire commentator who says ‘transgenderism must be eradicated,’ will be at Purdue Thursday night. Protests await. So does an ‘Eradicate Transphobia’ drag show nearby

Support for Based in Lafayette comes from Purdue Convocations, presenting Riverdance, as you’ve never seen it before! A powerful and stirring reinvention of this beloved favorite, celebrated the world over for its Grammy award-winning score and the thrilling energy and passion of its Irish and international dance. Sunday, March 26, at Elliott Hall of Music. Buy tickets today!

---

THE MICHAEL KNOWLES MOMENT AT PURDUE ARRIVES TONIGHT TO CONDEMNATION, PROTEST … AND A DRAG SHOW

Is it fair to ask whether many outside a core group of College Republicans would have taken much notice of Daily Wire commentator Michael Knowles’ visit to Purdue Thursday night if he hadn’t found recent footing on a national CPAC stage, branding himself as a spokesman for the kind of sentiments fueling anti-transgender legislation in Statehouses across the country, including Indiana’s?

“That’s a good question,” Emily Slater said Wednesday, as the Purdue senior and other members of the Young Democratic Socialists of Purdue lined up strategies to protest Knowles’ 8 p.m. talk at the Purdue Memorial Union Ballroom.

“I had no idea who he was until then,” Slater said. “Seems to be a bit of a B-list grifter. … It seems to me that he found the right time and the right audience to hear him say some things incredibly inflammatory to get attention. And here we are.”

(Photo: Dave Bangert)