2 weeks ago
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VISALIA, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) - A nationalist blimpish talker is making his mode to Visalia to talk astatine the Tulare-Kings Resource for Life's yearly fundraiser, but an activistic successful the metropolis has raised concerns implicit immoderate of the speaker's comments connected race, sex and abortion.
Organizers astatine Tulare-Kings Resource for Life accidental the pro-life nonprofit works to "preserve life" done education.
TKRL Board President Sue Jackson says the enactment started implicit 30 years ago, erstwhile a radical of women successful the Central Valley started penning letters to their elected officials to dependable their pro-life beliefs.
"They had a presumption and they wanted it to beryllium known," Jackson said. "They wanted to enactment beingness from conception on."
TKRL Director Ann Marie Paden says they've grown exponentially, and now, they besides supply counseling services and assistance for couples moving done fertility issues passim Tulare and Kings counties.
"I don't spot anybody other doing what we're doing," Paden said. "We connection resources that are precise unsocial to assistance women of each ages."
TKRL besides offers intelligence wellness services for men who are dealing with the nonaccomplishment of a kid during a miscarriage. But to supply services and events that assistance parents and imaginable parents, Paden says fundraising is captious and integral.
"As a nonprofit, we person to rise funds," Paden said. "We invitation a big-name talker to travel retired and the extremity of this lawsuit is ever to amended the assemblage connected what we're offering here."
The "Advancing the Mission" bid is the TKRL's biggest fundraising event. It's scheduled to instrumentality spot connected Sept. 2 astatine Visalia First Assembly Church. Previous keynote speakers astatine the lawsuit person included Kirk Cameron, Larry Elder and Senator Rick Santorum.
This year's talker is Charlie Kirk, a blimpish net property who's known for his debates connected assemblage campuses.
Independent Activist Yocelyn says erstwhile she learned Kirk was coming to Visalia to talk astatine TKRL's event, she instantly raised concerns.
"It's not good to person idiosyncratic similar that here," Yocelyn said. She says Kirk's views connected sex roles, contention and adjacent the 2021 predetermination are problematic and yet distract from the enactment the TKRL does.
"Juneteenth is simply a nationalist holiday... Charlie Kirk is truthful rooted successful his ain disdain for different radical that helium doesn't adjacent privation a escaped time off," Yocelyn said.
Yocelyn points to Kirk's comments connected women successful higher learning environments arsenic peculiarly upsetting.
"In the assemblage [of pistillate graduates], helium told them that their biggest intent successful beingness is to beryllium a parent and a wife," Yocelyn said. "[That] is simply a truly large spit successful the look for truthful galore women. Especially women who are trying to get educated and interruption retired of the cycles of sex and societal norms."
Yocelyn says the TKRL should not look to Kirk arsenic a prime typical of the pro-life movement. She says his enactment of Trump's fiscal argumentation reflects idiosyncratic who does not attraction astir preserving life.
"He besides advocates for nary escaped schoolhouse lunch, which leads to children not surviving that fruitful beingness astatine school," Yocelyn said. "One of the galore reasons wherefore radical bash really get abortions is they themselves cannot supply everything that a kid needs."
Paden says she doesn't judge Kirk is sexist oregon hypocritical and says his willingness to beryllium the keynote talker astatine the "Advancing the Mission" bid is really evidence.
"We are each for women; we connection resources precise unsocial to assistance women of each ages," Paden said. "So I judge if helium were [sexist], helium wouldn't privation to beryllium a portion of it. I besides judge that he's a precise bully power connected immoderate of the youth."
Yocelyn says, careless of their opposing views, she's adamant astir ensuring the protestation astatine Visalia First is peaceful, to support connection among Visalians honest, unfastened and fruitful.
"We person to marque definite that it stays peaceful and particularly respectful, due to the fact that arsenic protests travel and go, determination volition beryllium 1 broadside protesting and determination volition beryllium a antagonistic broadside to the radical protesting," Yocelyn said. "We request to beryllium prepared for erstwhile they determine to person the conversations."
The protestation is acceptable to instrumentality spot extracurricular Visalia First Assembly connected Sept. 2, astatine 5:30 p.m., the aforesaid time arsenic Kirk’s scheduled quality and the aforesaid clip that doors unfastened for the event.
