Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Those who give us hope: All Are Neighbors
It's going to be a pretty interesting evening over at Baylor tonight. There are two (intentionally) competing events, happening in close proximity to one another at the same time.
The first (though perhaps not the largest) is a Turning Point USA rally at Waco Hall. It was originally supposed to feature Donald Trump, Jr., Tom Homan (the man who backed ICE out of Minneapolis earlier this year in a torrent of false claims), and someone named "Benny Johnson," who has a podcast or something. A few days ago, though, Donald Trump Jr. backed out. I'll say from experience here-- if Tom Homan is your top speaker, it's not going to be a pretty disappointing night.
The second event, organized by Skye Perryman, Mary Darden and some others I know, is sponsored by a coalition of groups and will feature Theologian Paul Raushenbush and Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson. In a counterpoint to the Turning Point event, this more progressive group is expected to describe a more inclusive Baylor of the future-- one that does not (try to) exclude LGBTQ people.
My friend (and former editor) Bill Whitaker made an important point over at the Waco Trib: It's pretty odd for Turning Point to hold rallies at colleges, given that founder Charlie Kirk was adamant that college is for suckers: He even wrote a book titled "The College Scam."
Meanwhile, the Baptist General Convention of Texas is upset about the counter-event (it seems that their Christianity is defined by exclusion), and they are threatening to pull their support and cut ties with Baylor. Which (given the paucity of support relative to the wealth of their meddling) might be the best thing to happen to Baylor in a while.
