Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) will host a Free Society event on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., featuring national youth advocate and speaker Chloe Cole, who will present on the theme “Facing Giants.” The event is part of an ongoing initiative to engage students and the community in thoughtful dialogue surrounding identity, purpose, and the challenges facing today’s generation.
Chloe Cole is a 21-year-old national youth advocate and a leading voice speaking out against childhood gender transition. After beginning medical transition at the age of 12. Chloe had a double mastectomy at age 15 and then had a moment of realization at age 16 realizing that she wanted to be what she was created to be…a woman. She began detransitioning immediately. Cole now shares her story to help protect children, inform parents, and guide her generation toward truth and healing through her faith in Jesus Christ. She has been featured on major media platforms including Fox News, Tucker Carlson Tonight, The Ingraham Angle, and Jesse Watters Primetime, and has written op-eds for The New York Post, Fox News Digital, and The Daily Wire. Cole has also appeared on prominent podcasts hosted by Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, Charlie Kirk, Megyn Kelly, Tulsi Gabbard, Glenn Beck, Dan Crenshaw, and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
During her presentation, Cole will address the many “giants” students wrestle with today—including situational, emotional, cultural, political, and ideological challenges. As young adults navigate questions of identity and purpose, Cole will encourage students not to fear these obstacles but to confront them with courage and conviction. She will emphasize that growth, healing, and victory come only when individuals are willing to face the giants before them.
Free Society programming at Hannibal-LaGrange University is designed to promote the ideals of a free society by emphasizing three foundational pillars: a democratic form of government, free market economic systems, and cultural institutions such as the church. Speakers and events hosted through the Free Society initiative explore these principles through the lens of a biblical worldview, which is central to HLGU’s mission.
“At Hannibal-LaGrange University, we are committed to transforming lives through a relevant education anchored in a biblical worldview,” said Dr. Eric Turner, Chair of the Arts and Humanities Division and Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek. “Chloe Cole offers a compelling voice that will help our students and community understand and ponder difficult questions related to identity. We are excited to host her and lean into her conviction and compassion and learn from her what it means to flourish as a human being made in God’s image.”
Drawing from her own personal journey, Cole will share her experiences confronting adversity and uncertainty, offering both honesty and hope to students. Her message challenges attendees to recognize that while giants may appear overwhelming, they can only be defeated by facing them directly.
Tickets for the event will go on sale at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, February 23, 2026, and will be available for purchase at $15 per ticket at www.hlg.edu.
For more information, please contact Charlie McKeon at 573.629.3260 or via email at charlie.mckeon@hlg.edu.