Turning Point USA’s Young Women’s Leadership Summit Was Not What I Expected and I Loved It – Opinion

I walked into the Gaylord Texan hotel and resort to set up the RedState booth early on Thursday before many of the attendees of the Young Women’s Leadership Summit arrived. This was feminine without any apology. I am referring to feminine. It was dominated by hot pinks and blacks. There were photo booths in almost every room for Instagram uploads and the atmosphere was full of girl power.

It may be cliche to say, but this wasn’t your mother’s women’s conference. The party felt almost like a bachelorette party. It looked like Taylor Swift would be able to perform on the main stage. The elegant chandelier was atop a black and checkered runway. The vertical screens were enclosed in black frames with floral patterns carved into the frames.

A few points were immediately noticed by the guests as they arrived. While the age of the girls varied, very few were in their late 20s. The majority of them were in their 20s, some even younger. Many mothers even accompanied their children as they approached their teenage years. They were all dressed up in fabulous, fierce, and fun outfits. However, no matter what, their choices were thoughtfully thought out. They weren’t just there to hear feminine conservative messages and find community with other girls, they were there to show up and show out.

The event began.

The video that established the tone was watched by a cheering crowd of girls. It was a mainstream culture that had abandoned women and girls. Examples after examples were given about the suppression of femininity and not only of women. The video culminated in a ringing pink telephone that’s answered by TPUSA’s Alex Clark.

“I’m sorry, the old conservative movement can’t come to the phone right now,” says Clark. “Why? Because it’s dead!”

Boom! The room is filled with lights and bass. Boom! Pyrotechnics. Boom! Confetti. Clark’s performance is met with cheering by the girls.

It doesn’t feel like a conservative conference. It feels like a concert, and while I’m not a woman I feel the energy.

Be aware that the staff at the event were constantly adding seats to the space because there was too many girls. As I stood at the back, I watched young girls continue to crowd the space where I was.

Clark opened the event, setting the tone. This was the message. Strong conservative women are on the rise and they wouldn’t be shamed, silenced, and walked on. They challenge you to do it. This isn’t the passive group of women the left had dealt with decades ago. Clark was correct. The movement of the old is gone. It is now something new.

The room had booths for sponsors and merch as well. Later, I went into it. It was pink and black that was the main color for the day. There were posters everywhere. Signs with conservative messages were taken by groups of girls.

It was shocking, but I don’t use that word in a negative sense. It was shocking because I realized I hadn’t seen women openly advocating for things like gun ownership, Christianity, and motherhood for some time. This made me realise how overwhelmed I was by leftist messages at all times. My daily interactions with society include abortion, feminism and anti-gun propaganda.

These women proudly refused to accept it. They were ready to accept their femininity. They weren’t confused about their gender. They weren’t denying who they were in order to fit into some pop-delusion being pushed on their sex. They proudly embraced the American Dream, were gun owners and Christians. They were as interested in hearing about the possibility that women would be CEO of their company, as were they about becoming stay-at home moms. Each occupation was treated equally, with no exceptions.

They are proud Americans and were proud to be American. They were also engaged in the message. They wanted to discuss it and share their emotions. Some moments, the cheers of the crowd were so loud that my ears vibrated from them.

A second thing that surprised me was how little men were denigrated. I realized I had so often seen “girl power” associated with putting down men that not hearing it in these situations felt alien. Some speakers actually made complimentary and encouraging remarks about men in their speeches. Dana Loesch, a radio host, was taken onstage by her oldest son. She highlighted one time the importance of conservative men.

The event wasn’t shy about relationships. Although a woman who married a decent man was mentioned from time to time it was uncommon for leftist accusations and assumptions to be made. Never was subservience pushed. The best partnerships bring out the best in each other. The goal was to have a happy family that fulfills both spouse and husband. The couple treated women and men as equals, rather than two separate entities with a victim/oppressor dynamic.

It was amazing to me how this made me think. This gives me cause for reflection about our times. This was an example of how the filters that are being placed on America by the mainstream culture were a distraction. America still exists and I was there.

If you’re a young woman, I can’t recommend this summit enough. If you’re a man, I can’t recommend watching the playback enough either.