Utah Representative Trevor Lee is trying to change Harvey Milk Boulevard to Charlie Kirk Boulevard.

HB 196 is an unnecessary piece of propaganda that isolates LGBTQ+ Utahns. This bill seeks to change the name of a street from a figure that represents unity and advocacy to one that preaches hate and disrespect. If Utah legislators approve this bill, they play an active part in erasing LGBTQ+ history in favor of hateful messaging.

Harvey Milk and queer representation

Charlie Kirk’s legacy is far smaller than Harvey Milk’s. Unlike Milk, Kirk was not a good man. His political debate platformed on hatred for the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants and people of color. Despite this blatant hatred, he became a “hero” after his assassination.

Harvey Milk was an important gay activist who was also assassinated. Milk also contributed heavily to the equal rights movement for LGBTQ+ Americans.

Inclusive imagery like Harvey Milk Boulevard is so important for LGBTQ+ people. GLAAD reported that 80% of non-LGBTQ+ people who had been exposed to LGBTQ+ representation were more accepting of queer people.

Kirk’s accused assassin, Tyler James Robinson, had similar gun views to Kirk. Robinson’s intense hatred led to the death of a political figure, but his vitriol mirrors Kirk’s.

Rep. Lee is proposing a road named after an intensely hateful man. To follow his logic, we should name a road after Robinson, too.

Political propaganda

This bill points to a greater issue of propaganda within the Republican Party. Donald Trump, both before and during his presidency, has taken a liking to slapping his name and likeness on things.

Trump issued an executive order in early 2025 titled “RESTORING NAMES THAT HONOR AMERICAN GREATNESS”. In this executive order, he called for the change of the Gulf of Mexico to be called the Gulf of America.

Trump renamed more things than were illustrated in this order. He renamed The Kennedy Center, rebranded the U.S. Institute of Peace as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, and slapped his face upon official banners.

He also changed the National Park Service’s America the Beautiful Pass to feature his face. Whereas most cards showcased the beautiful nature and wildlife found within national parks, the new ones had a mugshot-esque photo of Trump’s glum grimace.

This change caused outrage amongst pass holders. To avoid having Trump’s face plastered on their card, Jenny McCarty began making stickers meant to cover Trump’s face for a more politically and aesthetically pleasing card. All proceeds raised from the stickers went to various conservation efforts, with over $16,000 being raised.

In defiance of these stickers, the Park Service reinforced a rule that any altered card would be voided, terminating any pass holder’s $80 annual membership.

Propaganda, according to the University of Illinois, is “the management of collective attitudes by the manipulation of significant symbols.” Trump’s face, slathered on all of these cards and buildings, is a significant symbol used to push Trump’s reign.

This intense push of branding mirrors Rep. Lee’s road name change, marking a worrying pattern of conservative propaganda.

Decline in media literacy

This active platforming of propaganda and its rapid acceptance parallels the decline in media literacy. Propaganda works better with lower levels of literacy.

As we see Blue States and the entirety of America’s education rates decline, it’s more important than ever to ensure we can recognize propaganda and deconstruct it.

Anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda is found everywhere. HB196 isn’t a rare instance of platformed propaganda. GLAAD has found that this is especially prevalent on social media, where dog-whistles, misinformation and bigoted speech permeate online discussions.

In fact, a bigger piece of Republican anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda is Project 2025. Project 2025’s language calls to remove gender-affirming language, ban gender-affirming care and criminalize LGBTQ+ youth.

This all goes to show that political propaganda surrounds us, even if we’re not looking for it.

HB196 is propaganda. It changes a Utah street’s name from a beloved figure to one who got his fame from hatred. Similar behavior isn’t new within the United States. We face an onslaught of political propaganda sent by Donald Trump. As Utahns, we need to recognize the propaganda around us, especially when it’s found within our proposed legislature. By clearly assessing the media we consume and advocating for the safety of all Utahns, we can avoid being taken advantage of by predatory media schemes.

Utah is facing a large-scale erasure of LGBTQ+ history and advocacy under Trump’s anti-DEI laws. HB 196 is a direct reflection of this erasure. Utah legislators need to say no to HB196 and fight against conservative propaganda.

[email protected]

@evanvanleuven.bsky.social