The ongoing feud between Turning Point USA (TPUSA) and Arizona State University (ASU) has reached a boiling point as a self-proclaimed queer professor was caught on camera attacking a TPUSA cameraman on campus.
ASU President Michael Crow was silent last week as pro-Hamas "protestors" denigrated Jewish students on campus, but he worked over the weekend and sent an official email smearing TPUSA after "queer" ASU professor David Boyles attacked our cameraman.
Here's the video evidence,… pic.twitter.com/Bc3q9vrY19
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) October 16, 2023
The incident occurred when TPUSA reporters attempted to ask the professor, David Boyles, about his support for drag queen story hour. In response, Boyles lunged at the cameraman, prompting the TPUSA reporter to push him away. The incident was captured on both overhead footage and the cameraman’s footage. TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk shared the videos on Twitter, denouncing the violence and defending his organization’s right to ask questions.
“It is never okay for someone to physically attack another person because they do not like the questions being asked. Just because Professor Boyles identifies as queer does not give him the right to resort to violence. Our reporter was simply exercising his right to free speech by asking a taxpayer-funded employee about his involvement in Drag Queen Story Hour,” wrote Kirk on Twitter.
The ASU Police Department is currently investigating the incident as a “potential bias or prejudicially motivated incident,” according to local CBS affiliate Arizona’s Family. Boyles, however, has remained silent and did not respond to requests for comment.
Boyles has been featured on TPUSA’s professor watchlist for his advocacy of drag queen story hour and his “obsession” with sexual education. He has even written a blog post about “Queering Sex Ed” and has promoted his drag queen story hour organization in other pieces. Yet, despite his controversial behavior, he is teaching a class this semester at ASU on “LGBTQ+ Youth” in pop culture and politics, in addition to his introductory English courses.
ASU President Michael Crow has come to Boyles’ defense, condemning the TPUSA reporters while ignoring Boyles’ own violent actions. “It is astounding that members of Turning Point USA would harass and physically assault one of our instructors. This type of behavior is unacceptable and goes against the values of our university,” wrote Crow in a statement. He further called for TPUSA to remove Boyles from their professor watchlist and accused the organization of causing attacks on his faculty.
In response, a TPUSA spokesperson accused Crow of misrepresenting the incident and using Boyles’ sexual orientation to play the victim. “What is truly astounding is how President Crow has blatantly lied about the events that took place. The video evidence clearly shows that Boyles was the one to initiate the violence, yet he and President Crow are trying to twist the narrative. Self-defense is not hate,” the spokesperson said.
This incident is not the first time ASU has come under fire for its treatment of conservative organizations. In February, Kirk and Dennis Prager were set to speak on campus, but faced condemnation from faculty and attempts to shut down the event. At the time, ASU deans pressured the Barrett Honors College to cancel the event, ultimately resulting in the termination of two staff members who organized it. This controversy led to a committee being formed by Arizona Republican state legislators to gather information on the status of free expression at public colleges and universities in the state.
Despite ASU’s claims of promoting free speech, the school has remained silent on the recent attacks by Hamas terrorists on Israel. The ASU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine even released a statement expressing support for the “Palestinian freedom fighters” and planned a rally with other left-wing activist groups. Yet, ASU stayed silent and failed to condemn the terrorist attacks and violence against civilians.
It is clear that ASU has a double standard when it comes to free speech and violence. The school is quick to condemn peaceful conservative organizations like TPUSA, while defending a professor who physically attacked a TPUSA cameraman. It is concerning to see a taxpayer-funded institution show such bias and disregard for the safety and rights of all students and faculty. ASU must do better in promoting an environment of free speech and protecting its community from violence and intimidation by left-wing activists. The incident with Boyles is just the latest example of the double standards and hypocrisy that exist on college campuses across the country.