by Victoria Manning
First Colonial High School, in Virginia Beach, is the latest battlefield for extremists to target Turning Point USA groups. Public records requests reveal activists trying to silence students who oppose their views. Even TPUSA’s teacher sponsor gets doxxed for being a Christian on social media.
Danna Cullen is an activist who runs a social media page for Virginia Beach. She used the platform she had to launch an incoherent tirade at the teacher who sponsored the club. Cullen encouraged those students who opposed the TPUSA to become undercover investigators and find “toxic Christian Nationalist products” that they could then report to the media. She called the teacher sponsor “kooks” for wearing a crucifix.
Rebekah Sanderson, a freelance journalist who writes for Washington Post as well as Huffington Post offered to help any student who wanted to infiltrate TPUSA. Sanderlin said to Cullen on Dec. 16 that her daughter at FC (First Colonial) told her she had seen a group of kids join the club, who were definitely not the type of kid to be sincerely involved.
Cullen continued to attack TPUSA. He declared that the group is “a cult,” that promotes “extreme racism, misogyny, and anti-culture points of views.”
Restoration News obtained emails sent to the Virginia Beach School Board by a group of parents and activists who are trying to stop the TPUSA Club. Bianca Keipe, also known as Goodman, expressed “deep concerns” about the club. She claimed it creates a “hostile learning environment” and poses “a direct danger to teacher safety.” Keipe blamed TPUSA-linked “rhetoric” for a political assassination attempt on a campus. Keipe is unaware that TPUSA’s Charlie Kirk was murdered in a vile act of political violence.
Keipe claimed that she and other parents and students interested in the issue were also interviewed by local media on Cullen’s Facebook page.
Restoration News contacted Keipe to get more information about her concerns regarding the club. She did not answer our questions and instead referred to us as being “associated with harassment, intimidation, and political violence.”
Mindi Friedman exchanged texts, a former PTA Vice President in Virginia Beach, and a parent of a First Colonial student, with Melinda Rogers, a member of the school board. Friedman also included a photo of TPUSA’s poster, which called its members “dumbasses.”
The sender of another message sent by the school board claimed that TPUSA had a “well documented history of racism and misogyny.” However, when Restoration News contacted Chris Bonney to verify these claims, he could not provide any primary sources. He claimed that TPUSA was the only organization, other than the Ku Klux Klan that was out of touch with Christian teachings.
It is incredulous to hear anyone repeat the same rhetoric which led to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s especially offensive when the rhetoric is directed at minors attending a public high school.
An attack against Christians
The public education system is biased against Christians. Merriam Webster has distorted the definition of Christianity over the years. Merriam Webster states that Christianity is “the religion derived by Jesus Christ and based on sacred scripture in the Bible.” Sacred Scripture teaches Ephesians 2:18-9: “For you were saved by grace through faith. This is not something you have earned; it’s a gift from God. It is not the result of your works. God has given it to us through his mercy and grace. We must accept this grace and confess the Lord Jesus.
God gives Christians instructions on how to live, and these instructions are in conflict with the world’s ways. In public schools, there are certain values and beliefs that undermine Biblical principles. There is often a silence when it’s time to defend Christian students from these attacks on their faith. Extremists, like those who attacked the TPUSA Club, get louder and more violent.
The TPUSA Club America, formed at First Colonial High School, is a nonprofit organization that aims to “educate youth about the importance” of free markets, limited government and freedom. Yet, it has been vilified because its founder believes in Jesus and Biblical Values.
Virginia Beach’s district policy allows student clubs to be formed if they have the proper permissions, and a teacher sponsors them.
Some of the people who criticize the TPUSA Club also support a Students Demand Action group at the same school. This group is against second amendment gun rights and not only does it hold regular meetings but also promotes activism in school hours. Melinda Rogers , a leftist member of the school board, participated with the club in a student walkout. Imagine the outrage if a conservative member of a school board took part in such activism with a group like TPUSA.
The Gender-Sexuality Alliance club (GSA) was active in the school until this year when it lost its teacher sponsors. The GSA club promoted many events at school, such as “drawing your own pride flag”, in honor of Aromantic Awareness Week and Gay Pride Month celebrations.
The GSA did not attempt to ban the club, despite the fact that it publicly promoted messages opposing the religious beliefs of Christian students.
These attacks on TPUSA, even after the violent political murder of Charlie Kirk are a reminder that liberals do not care if conservatives perish. This was obvious when they celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death. We must still stand up and protect those who are willing to speak the truth about our country, especially those in public schools.
Victoria Manning, Senior Investigative Reporter at Restoration News, specializes in immigration and military issues, as well as education freedom. This column was republished by Restoration News with their permission.
