Repealing the 19th Amendment isn't conservatism. It's extremism
Not long ago, conservatism wasn't culturally fashionable. Society's wealthiest and most influential figures rarely aligned themselves openly with the political Right. The assumption was simple: conservatives protected the powerful, liberals championed the underdog. Then, as a college student at the height of the Obama era, I watched — along with many other Right-leaning people — identity politics take over the discourse.
It stopped being about defending the underprivileged and started being about imposing a set of values on the public while calling it compassion. The bullied had become the bully. My debates with friends across the aisle usually ended with me explaining why I put my moral convictions above race and gender — a stance that puzzled them, given my own gender and ethnic heritage. The accusations of bigotry never stuck, because the people in my educational and church communities, who shared my convictions, were some of the finest I'd known.
Fast forward to 2026, and I am struggling to recognize the movement I have long supported. A new extremism has taken hold in parts of the Right — what's now called the Right-wing version of grievance politics, and it's spreading fast among Gen Z men. This group says it's been cast as the enemy, branded inherently bigoted by the culture around it. Some have responded by embracing the “bigot” label outright.
Digital creators like Joshua Haymes have built an audience on that resentment. Unconventional opinions are his brand. On his podcast, The Reformation Red Pill, he has repeatedly called for repealing the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. In one episode, “Christian Nationalism, Misogyny, Homophobia and Epistemology w/PF Jung,” he says, “we won't be able to truly fix our country until the 19th amendment is repealed.” He's also revived defenses of slavery. In an October 2025 episode, he claimed “the institution of slavery is not inherently evil. It is not inherently evil to own another human being,” adding that “Christians should be able to defend this.”
This can be harmful to the Right precisely because of what these opinions represent — an extremist approach to politics. Haymes has pushed blasphemy laws, saying in an August episode that “we should have laws against blaspheming the true God, and not have laws blaspheming false gods.” What that would mean for the millions of Americans who aren't Christian, he doesn't say. It's hard to imagine blasphemy laws sparking a mass revival.
Christ modeled something wiser. In Luke 9:51–56, Jesus and His disciples are rejected by a Samaritan village. John and James want to call down fire from Heaven. Instead of judgment, Jesus rebukes them: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them” (Luke 9:55, NKJV). Facing hostility, He chose mercy over wrath. Haymes, like any professing Christian, should know that faith is chosen, not enforced.
Turning Point USA has invited Haymes to join its “Pick Up the Mic” tour this November, putting him in front of young audiences on the biggest issues of the day. He's persuasive — which is exactly the risk.
In January of 2023, during one of his episodes on The Charlie Kirk Show, Kirk referred to slavery as “the evil, sinister practice,” and said that “obviously, slavery is reprehensible and terrible and awful.” It’s difficult to imagine Kirk getting on board with an idea that he considered to be so deplorable. Concerning gender roles, he certainly held to a traditional position that encouraged women to prioritize family over career. However, he did not believe women should be excluded from the political process. At the Young Women’s Leadership Summit in 2023, he stated that “every single one of you has what it takes to be a talented person in office or in corporate office.” He also encouraged women to start TP USA chapters on their campuses. His support for the idea of women’s participation in the political process clearly contradicts any notion that the 19th Amendment should be repealed.
TPUSA says its mission is to “empower generations of patriots to stand for freedom, defend liberty and win the American culture war.” That claim rings hollow next to speakers who want some of those freedoms gone. As it stands, our society is searching for solutions, and militancy isn't the answer in a moment this divided — it only drives the wedge deeper.
As Kirk himself put it: “I'm trying to paint a picture of virtue, of lifting people up, not just staying angry.” TPUSA should heed those words. It would honor his legacy — and help mend a fracturing country.
Grace Castro is the founder of fordarecordtv, an urban outreach ministry with the mission to bring the Gospel to under-resourced communities through music and evangelism.
