{"id":15206,"date":"2025-12-15T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/flc-turning-point-usa-chapter-president-says-he-has-thick-skin-amid-controversy\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:46:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:46:26","slug":"flc-turning-point-usa-chapter-president-says-he-has-thick-skin-amid-controversy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/flc-turning-point-usa-chapter-president-says-he-has-thick-skin-amid-controversy\/","title":{"rendered":"FLC Turning Point USA chapter president says he has \u2018thick skin\u2019 amid controversy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn, president of the newly formed FLC Turning Point USA chapter, stands inside the Student Union on Friday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Before Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn became president of the newly formed FLC Turning Point USA chapter, he described himself as a liberal-leaning atheist who would never become like his intolerant Republican father.<\/p>\n

Flynn, a senior studying philosophy and Spanish, gained local and national attention after the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College initially denied<\/a> his request to start a Turning Point chapter at an Oct. 29 meeting. Outcry from conservative students and community members led to an emergency Nov. 7 meeting, where the decision was reversed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Since then, the 25-year-old has appeared in numerous news outlets, including CBS and Fox News, where he spoke on a panel<\/a> <\/em>alongside alt-right political activist Jack Posobiec.<\/p>\n

Flynn said he has been heckled on campus and that some friendships have become strained as a result of his association with the group. Still, he said he has \u201cthick skin\u201d and remains proud of the chapter\u2019s presence at FLC.<\/p>\n

The death <\/a>of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at a Utah Valley University event on Sept. 10 motivated Flynn to launch the group on campus, he said.<\/p>\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn advocated for starting a Turning Point USA chapter on campus Oct. 29 while speaking to the Associated Students of Fort Lewis College. (Elizabeth Pond\/Durango Herald file)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Early life and influences<\/div>\n

Flynn was born in Connecticut but grew up in Texas with his mother and father \u2013 now separated \u2013 and four brothers and three sisters. He is the third-oldest.<\/p>\n

His family was Catholic \u201conly in title,\u201d he said. He found his way to faith \u2013 specifically Christianity \u2013 later in life.<\/p>\n

Flynn said he enjoyed growing up in a large family and praised his mother for her kindness, spirituality and character.<\/p>\n

He had harsher words for his father, from whom he is now estranged. He described his father as \u201ccrazy\u201d and \u201cone of those annoying Republican people who\u2019s kind of a bigot and thinks liberals are dumb.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was kind of a simpleton, in a way,\u201d Flynn said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t a very thoughtful person. I would like to think that what I\u2019m doing differently is that I\u2019m being thoughtful and thoughtfully engaging with the ideas of the other side.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though he supports Republican candidates and said he would run as a Republican if he pursued politics, Flynn rejects strict party labels.<\/p>\n

\u201cI voted for Trump, and I think he\u2019s a great president, but am I a Republican? Absolutely not,\u201d he said. \u201cLike, do I love Ted Cruz? (Expletive) no. I think somebody should totally take his position, and he should just go away forever \u2013 somewhere else. You know, people like that \u2013 those kinds of typical Boomer Republican politicians \u2013 are so not what I identify with, at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flynn said he rejects the two-party system.<\/p>\n

\"Turning
Turning Point USA Fort Lewis College chapter President Jonah Flynn walks on campus in early December. (Elizabeth Pond\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Flynn dropped out of high school before serving three years in the Army as an indirect fire infantryman. While stationed in Anchorage, Alaska, he met his wife, Sheyanne, to whom he has been married for two years.<\/p>\n

Flynn said Sheyanne\u2019s influence \u2013 and his military education benefits \u2013 led him to pursue higher education at FLC, where the two now study together.<\/p>\n

He initially aspired to become a teacher but has since shifted his focus toward politics or law enforcement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe longer I thought about being a teacher, the more I realized I don\u2019t really believe in the public school system,\u201d he said. \u201c\u2026 When I was in school, I wasn\u2019t being challenged. I was just miserable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201d<\/p>\n

When he met Sheyanne, Flynn described himself as a \u201cliberal-leaning\u201d atheist who sympathized with the Black Lives Matter movement and opposed police brutality, patriarchy and what he called \u201ctoxic masculinity.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said he was searching for his own beliefs after being raised in a Republican, Catholic household.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing leads to another, and you just start to deconstruct everything,\u201d Flynn said of the time he leaned liberal and was nonreligious. \u201cBut then at the end of it, you sort of realize that you just deconstructed everything and now there\u2019s nothing left. Like, you got to build something at some point. And when you deconstruct all of those fundamental kinds of ideas in society \u2013 like God, gender, this and that \u2013 you end up with nothing good. So, I started to move back and build up my ideas about the world from scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flynn said he and Sheyanne discovered religion and conservatism together, and that he now aligns with most \u2013 though not all \u2013 of Turning Point\u2019s tenets.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy personal beliefs and values are more gospel-based than (Turning Point or) Republican Party-based,\u201d he said. \u201cThey center around the Christ message, and they center around what\u2019s good for America and what\u2019s good for our people and our neighborhoods, and not necessarily (what\u2019s good for) the people of the whole entire world,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m definitely an \u2018America first\u2019 person. America first all the way \u2013 maybe even America only, for the time being.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn, president of the newly formed FLC Turning Point USA chapter, on campus Friday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Flynn said he now believes the Black Lives Matter movement was a \u201cscam,\u201d and many of the donations given in the name of the movement were misused \u2013 including by the founders. He said police violence against Black people is not disproportionate.<\/p>\n

He said there are only two genders \u2013 man and woman \u2013 corresponding with a person\u2019s sex assigned at birth. He called abortion a \u201cdemonic\u201d practice that should be \u201cshunned\u201d and supports immigration control as a way of \u201cpreserving American culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accepting diverse gender identities, he said, is a pathway to eroding fundamental belief systems. He opposes legislation allowing individuals to be addressed by the name and pronouns with which they identify.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can give up on something so fundamental (as) gender \u2026 that just totally erodes what it means for something to be true, and your concept of truth is just going to be utterly trashed,\u201c he said. \u201dIt\u2019s like, if you could believe that, and you can accept that, you could just believe anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flynn \u2013 who is white \u2013 said identifying as a gender other than the one assigned at birth is akin to him \u201cidentifying as Black\u201d or a young person \u201csaying they\u2019re 60 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Turning
Turning Point USA Fort Lewis College chapter President Jonah Flynn on campus earlier this month. (Elizabeth Pond\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
\u2018Warrior for the gospel\u2019<\/div>\n

Flynn said criticism of his affiliation with Turning Point has been difficult at times \u2013 especially when it comes from friends \u2013 but he\u2019s been able to bounce back.<\/p>\n

His friend and classmate Caleb Martin called him \u201ca contrarian who enjoys difficult conversations.\u201d The two met three years ago in a U.S. government class.<\/p>\n

Martin said he respects Flynn\u2019s ability to explain his beliefs but acknowledged they\u2019ve had their share of arguments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve come to disagree with him plenty, and we argue all the time, but we\u2019ll always have a conversation about it, and that conversation always feels very rigorous,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Flynn rejects the idea that his views \u2013 or the existence of a Turning Point chapter on campus \u2013 could cause harm.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis idea is dangerous, that speech is violence,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat do you mean by \u2018violence?\u2019 Like, who exactly is being physically harmed? Could I kill somebody with my words? No. I just think that\u2019s pretty wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research<\/a> published in November found a strong link between verbal prejudice and support for political violence.<\/p>\n

Flynn said there\u2019s \u201ca very good chance of some serious violent conflict\u201d occurring soon as a result of the discourse surrounding the group, adding, \u201cpeople on (my) side would decisively win it\u201d because \u201cthey tend to be people with more guns and stronger bodies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I would rather happen though is that we could just talk it out and be friends and love each other,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Flynn said he hopes to be seen as humble, gentle and a \u201cwarrior for the gospel.\u201d He said he wants Turning Point\u2019s presence to inspire courage across political lines.<\/p>\n

\"Fort
Fort Lewis College senior Jonah Flynn, president of the newly formed FLC Turning Point USA chapter, walks around campus on Friday. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cCourage is the first virtue,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can\u2019t have any of the rest without the courage. \u2026 Hopefully, people can be courageous and stand up for what they do. Otherwise, they\u2019ll just be bystanders and then they\u2019ll be guilty of whatever crimes occur in front of them, and that\u2019s horrific.\u201d<\/p>\n

epond@durangoherald.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

An earlier version of this story misspelled Sheyanne Flynn\u2019s first name. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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