At least two professors in Louisiana have expressed outrage after Republican Governor Jeff Landry called on the state’s largest school to erect a statue of Charlie Kirk. Landry, who was on campus for a rally with the school’s Turning Point USA chapter, said he would challenge the LSU board of supervisors to find a place to put a statue of Kirk, claiming the move would defend freedom of speech on college campuses.
Landry’s proposal has drawn significant backlash from LSU professors. Robert Mann, an LSU professor emeritus, took to social media to accuse Kirk of racism, stating that if Landry wanted a statue honoring a white nationalist, it should be David Duke, who attended LSU. Mann, who retired in 2024, still maintains an active profile on LSU’s website and published a book this year through LSU Press.
Meanwhile, Nicole Gasparini, an associate professor of environmental sciences at Tulane University, also criticized Landry’s call to honor Kirk, highlighting his history of targeting professors. Gasparini, who is on the left-wing social media app, pointed to Kirk’s organization, which she said has a specific goal of harassing professors, as the reason for her disapproval.
Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA, was assassinated at Utah Valley University earlier this year while debating with students during the