In 2019, Charlie Kirk said “I believe marriage is one man, one woman,” but he sought dialogue and debate with people who held opposing views.
Podcaster Dave Rubin, who is openly gay and married to a man, met Kirk in 2017 and “went on to do dozens of college campus events where we both relished discussing our differences — not only with each other, but with the huge crowds of college students as well. … What started as spirited disagreements on politics, culture, religion and activism turned into a meaningful friendship and a turning point, pardon the pun, in my career.”
Other openly gay critics of leftwing extremism, including Andrew Doyle and Andy Ngo, have praised Kirk’s commitment to free speech and respectful dialogue. And in a statement, Log Cabin Republicans said that Kirk “worked tirelessly to bring American education back to its roots of civil debate, free speech, and tolerance for differing points of view. His work was, and will continue to be, an inspiration for LGBT conservatives to proudly defend their own views against those who may loudly and hatefully disagree.”
In a quote now being widely shared, Kirk himself said this: “When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence. That’s when civil war happens. Because you start to think the other side is so evil and they lose their humanity.”
And putting it all together: