Demonstrators staged a pop-up drag show on Cal Poly's campus Tuesday to protest a TPUSA event featuring "Billboard Chris" and detransitioner Chloe Cole. — *Image: “Billboard Chris” and Chloe Cole hold signs at Cal Poly TPUSA chapter event while protesters host a spontaneous drag show.*

“They’re very untalented,” Frontlines Reporter Kalen D’Almeida said while covering the event.

Demonstrators wearing drag and revealing “BDSM” outfits staged a pop-up drag show on the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) campus on Tuesday evening to protest a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event featuring children’s rights activist “Billboard Chris” and detransitioner Chloe Cole.

Students from the Cal Poly Pride Centers planned “counter-events” to protest the TPUSA chapter event open to anyone “feeling unsafe.” The protest gained the support of faculty member Maya Hislop, who encouraged her students to attend. Hislop sent an email to students calling the TPUSA event “dangerous.” She warned that the speakers, one of whom (Cole) formerly identified as a transgender male, might spread “lies” regarding transgenderism.

TPUSA contacted Cal Poly requesting clarity on the professor’s statements but did not receive a response.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo:

Tonight @BillboardChris and @ChoooCole will be speaking at the @TPUSA campus chapter to challenge the trans movement. The event is scheduled to start in just a few minutes and there is already quite a few people in opposition. pic.twitter.com/3rc2aXTMnt
— Kalen D’Almeida (@fromkalen) December 6, 2023

When TPUSA Frontline’s Reporter Kalen D’Almeida arrived on Cal Poly’s campus at approximately 5:30 p.m., protesters had already begun gathering outside the event space.

By the time the event was scheduled to begin, hundreds of students and other individuals had assembled outside, creating what D’Almeida described as a “pop-up drag show” consisting of “exceptionally untalented,” individuals wearing revealing drag costumes. Several individuals attending the protest held signs reading, “Trans rights are not up for debate,” and “Trans Pride” among other slogans.

Cal Poly SLO: @fromkalen is on the ground covering the @ChoooCole & @BillboardChris TPUSA event. Opposition has spawned and a "pop-up" drag show filled with g*y men and large women has broken out to protest Chloe and Chris. @TPUSA | @charliekirk11 pic.twitter.com/gjXrJ8OxEA
— FRONTLINES (@FrontlinesTPUSA) December 6, 2023

“Hundreds of students celebrating men in womanface,” Billboard Chris said on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the spontaneous drag-protest.

“They believe we’re all in drag [when] performing the stereotypes associated with our sex,” he said while speaking with D’Almedia. “So I guess I’m in drag tonight, performing masculinity with a little gender non-conformity because I’ve got my pink tie here. So they don’t know why they’re here,” he added. “They just know that there’s a party against a bunch of ‘bigots.'”

Cal Poly SLO:

Exceptionally untalented men in hardcore BDSM drag flail and flop around on the floor outside of the TPUSA chapter event challenging the trans movement. @TPUSA | @FrontlinesTPUSA pic.twitter.com/FWeURO2jsq
— Kalen D’Almeida (@fromkalen) December 6, 2023

“This is the craziest protest I’ve ever had at one of my events,” Cole told D’Almeida. “I couldn’t describe all of it; I couldn’t make this stuff up.” D’Almeida added that the ordeal was “just bizarre.”

.@ChoooCole responds to the dr*g show that is protesting her at Cal Poly SLO. @fromkalen describes that the dr*g lovers brought rainbow flags that have "666" on it with MARIJUANA leaves. Protestors have also brought a sign that says "TPUSA DRINKS DOG C*M."

Wild scene at Cal… pic.twitter.com/id15nYA6xg
— FRONTLINES (@FrontlinesTPUSA) December 6, 2023

After the TPUSA chapter event began, one student was given the opportunity to participate in an open Q&A with Chris and Cole; he instead used the time to “read a story about ferrets,” according to Chris, which looked several pages long. The student was swiftly escorted from the room by security officers.

I gave this guy a chance to ask me or @ChoooCole a question during our Q and A tonight.

He decided to read a story about ferrets, instead.

This was the perfect opportunity to ask something intelligent or challenging, but as always, all trans activists can do is try to disrupt.… https://t.co/dhIUzAAGWk
— Billboard Chris 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@BillboardChris) December 6, 2023

Eric Esshaki