Changes

==Formation and activities==

==Formation and activities==

Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012, when he was 18 years old. At the 2012 [[Republican National Convention]], Kirk met [[Foster Friess]], a prominent Republican donor, and persuaded him to finance the organization.<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|title=This Boy Wonder Is Building the Conservative MoveOn.org in an Illinois Garage|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150507/NEWS02/150509859/this-boy-wonder-is-building-a-conservative-moveon-org-in-a-lemont-garage|agency=Bloomberg News|date=May 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="atlantic" /> Friess also serves on the organization's advisory council, alongside [[Ginni Thomas]], wife of [[US Supreme Court]] Justice [[Clarence Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tpusa.com/aboutus/advisory-council/|title=Advisory Council - Turning Point USA|website=Tpusa.com|language=en|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>

Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012, when he was 18 years old. At the 2012 [[Republican National Convention]], Kirk met Foster Friess, a prominent Republican donor, and persuaded him to finance the organization.<ref name="bloomberg">{{cite news|title=This Boy Wonder Is Building the Conservative MoveOn.org in an Illinois Garage|url=http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20150507/NEWS02/150509859/this-boy-wonder-is-building-a-conservative-moveon-org-in-a-lemont-garage|agency=Bloomberg News|date=May 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name="atlantic" /> Friess also serves on the organization's advisory council, alongside Ginni Thomas, wife of [[US Supreme Court]] Justice [[Clarence Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tpusa.com/aboutus/advisory-council/|title=Advisory Council - Turning Point USA|website=Tpusa.com|language=en|access-date=September 6, 2017}}</ref>

Turning Point holds several annual national conferences, including the Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS)<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/us/politics/women-conservative-trump.html|title=At Conservative Women's Conference, a Safe Space for Trumpism|last=Herndon|first=Astead W.|access-date=June 17, 2018|language=en}}</ref> and the Young Latino Leadership Summit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tpusa.com/young-latino-leadership-summit/|title=Young Latino Leadership Summit|publisher=Turning Point USA}}</ref> The [[National Rifle Association]] was the headline sponsor of the YWLS in 2017 and 2018.<ref name=":2" /> According to ''The New York Times'', YWLS "styles itself as an alternative to a liberal culture of feminism that many Republicans characterize as oppressive" and had by 2018 "evolved into an ultra-Trumpian event complete with '[[Lock Her Up|lock her up]]' chants and vulgar T-shirts disparaging Hillary Clinton."<ref name=":2" /> Candace Owens, who days prior to the 2018 conference stirred controversy by saying "the entire premise of #[[Me Too movement|metoo]] is that women are stupid, weak, and inconsequential", was greeted with a standing ovation at the conference.<ref name=":2" />

Turning Point holds several annual national conferences, including the Young Women's Leadership Summit (YWLS)<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/17/us/politics/women-conservative-trump.html|title=At Conservative Women's Conference, a Safe Space for Trumpism|last=Herndon|first=Astead W.|access-date=June 17, 2018|language=en}}</ref> and the Young Latino Leadership Summit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tpusa.com/young-latino-leadership-summit/|title=Young Latino Leadership Summit|publisher=Turning Point USA}}</ref> The [[National Rifle Association]] was the headline sponsor of the YWLS in 2017 and 2018.<ref name=":2" /> According to ''The New York Times'', YWLS "styles itself as an alternative to a liberal culture of feminism that many Republicans characterize as oppressive" and had by 2018 "evolved into an ultra-Trumpian event complete with '[[lock her up]]' chants and vulgar T-shirts disparaging Hillary Clinton."<ref name=":2" /> Candace Owens, who days prior to the 2018 conference stirred controversy by saying "the entire premise of #[[MeToo]] is that women are stupid, weak, and inconsequential", was greeted with a standing ovation at the conference.<ref name=":2" />

Since 2016, Turning Point USA has maintained a Professor Watchlist that lists college professors it alleges discriminate against conservative students and advance left-wing [[propaganda]] in the classroom.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/01/new-conservative-watchlist-targets-professors-for-advancing-leftist-propaganda/|title=New conservative 'watch list' targets professors for advancing 'leftist propaganda'|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|access-date=February 19, 2017}}</ref> The organization has also secretly attempted to influence student government elections in an effort to "combat [[liberalism]] on college and university campuses".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chronicle.com/article/Inside-a-Stealth-Plan-for/240008|title=Inside a Stealth Plan for Political Influence|last=Vasquez|first=Michael|date=May 7, 2017|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=September 8, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0009-5982}}</ref><ref>Kamenetz, Anya (April 4, 2018) [https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/04/590928008/professor-harassment "Professors Are Targets In Online Culture Wars; Some Fight Back"] [[NPR]]</ref>

Since 2016, Turning Point USA has maintained a Professor Watchlist that lists college professors it alleges discriminate against conservative students and advance left-wing [[propaganda]] in the classroom.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2016/12/01/new-conservative-watchlist-targets-professors-for-advancing-leftist-propaganda/|title=New conservative 'watch list' targets professors for advancing 'leftist propaganda'|newspaper=[[Washington Post]]|access-date=February 19, 2017}}</ref> The organization has also secretly attempted to influence student government elections in an effort to "combat [[liberalism]] on college and university campuses".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.chronicle.com/article/Inside-a-Stealth-Plan-for/240008|title=Inside a Stealth Plan for Political Influence|last=Vasquez|first=Michael|date=May 7, 2017|work=The Chronicle of Higher Education|access-date=September 8, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0009-5982}}</ref><ref>Kamenetz, Anya (April 4, 2018) [https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/04/590928008/professor-harassment "Professors Are Targets In Online Culture Wars; Some Fight Back"] [[NPR]]</ref>