University leaders Michael Crow and Fred DuVal condemn actions of Turning Point USA

Arizona State University President Michael Crow published a letter to faculty and staff Saturday condemning conservative group Turning Point USA for its role in an incident in which a queer professor was confronted and injured on campus.

He labeled the two people who followed and filmed writing instructor David Boyles — a "reporter" and a "cameraman," according to Turning Point USA — as "cowards" while pledging to protect the university's faculty.

"Let me assure all of you that ASU will do all that we can to end the bullying and intimidation of our faculty members by Turning Point USA and to reduce threats against the members of the ASU community which arise from such actions," Crow said.

A spokesperson for ASU said the university is continuing to investigate the incident, but could not provide clarity on any new steps ASU intends to take to protect faculty. Crow was not immediately available for comment.

Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, called Crow's letter "laughable."

"The video evidence is extremely clear that Professor Boyles lashed out in a moment of rage and tried to attack our cameraman, and for (Crow) to try to spin it as anything other than what the video evidence clearly shows does a disservice to the university," Kolvet said.

The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon in Tempe near the Fulton Garage, according to ASU Police. Security camera footage obtained by The Arizona Republic via a public records request shows Boyles being followed by the two Turning Point USA representatives.

At one point, the surveillance video shows Boyles reaching toward the camera and that he may have made contact with the person filming. The video then appears to show the other Turning Point USA representative rushing toward Boyles and pushing him onto the ground.

In an Instagram post describing the confrontation, Boyles said he attempted to block the camera. Boyles told The Republic on Saturday that Crow and his fellow faculty have "been wonderfully supportive" since the incident.

"I appreciate President Crow's message that he sent today and look forward to seeing what specific, actionable steps are put in place to stop Turning Point from harassing faculty and students and using our campus as a platform for its hatred and bigotry," he said.

Turning Point USA released a statement Thursday night claiming Boyles made the first move by "lunging, pushing and clawing" at the person filming him. The organization has since reiterated that it believes Boyles made contact with its "cameraman" and began the altercation.

Crow called the behavior of the two Turning Point USA representatives "the kind of outrageous conduct that you would expect to see from bullies in a high school cafeteria."

"It is astounding to me that individuals from Turning Point USA would wait for an ASU instructor to come out of his class to follow him, harass him and ultimately shove him to the ground, bloodying his face," Crow wrote. "It is stunning for Turning Point USA leadership to endorse, defend and fund such activity in the name of 'freedom.'"

Arizona Board of Regents Chairman Fred DuVal joined Crow in condemning the conservative organization. The Board of Regents is the governing body for the three state universities. Earlier this year, in a similar incident, people representing Turning Point USA approached and filmed a professor of LGBTQ+ studies on the University of Arizona campus, according to the group's website.

"Turning Point USA should be ashamed for its targeted intimidation campaign against university professors," DuVal said in a Saturday statement. "This organization needs to stop putting people at risk."

Kolvet said Saturday that Crow should be "very careful" of "how he tries to spin" the incident, noting Arizona's projected $400 million budget deficit. While on stage at ASU in September, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called on state lawmakers to defund the university.

"I know that there's a lot of people in Arizona that are not going to like him lying to their faces and lying to them in their email inboxes about what the video evidence is clearly demonstrating," Kolvet said.

Arizona Sen. Anthony Kern, R-Glendale, told The Republic in a written statement that he had "reviewed the video evidence" and that "it seems clear that the Turning Point crew was asking the professor questions and he lunged at them first."

Kern was one of the lawmakers in attendance at Kirk's talk in September and is on a Republican-led legislative committee investigating freedom of expression at Arizona's public universities. He was one of 11 Arizona Republicans who falsely posed as certified electors in an attempt to circumvent the results of the 2020 presidential election.

"Last time I checked, asking questions of a taxpayer-funded employee is not harassment, lunging at people and pushing and shoving them is and borders on assault," Kern said. "For President Crow to clearly misrepresent what's in the video is certainly something we will take note of in our committee."

Kern's statement to The Republic was provided by Kolvet, the Turning Point USA spokesperson, on Saturday night. Kern confirmed to The Republic Sunday morning that they were his words.

Boyles targeted by Turning Point USA for LGBTQ+ programming

Video posted online by Turning Point USA shows that its representatives approached Boyles.

He said he would not answer their questions, but they continued to follow him, film him and question him. At times, the video jumps ahead and doesn't show the entire interaction.

"You can't run," one of the Turning Point USA representatives told Boyles in the video.

Boyles is co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona, an organization that started in 2019 and aims to bring "inclusive story times" to children and support diversity in early literacy, according to its website. In an Instagram post, he said he was leaving a class he teaches about LGBTQ+ youth in pop culture and politics when the two people approached him.

Kolvet said Saturday that Boyles should "expect to be asked questions" about Drag Story Hour Arizona.

Accusing LGBTQ+ people of pedophilia and "grooming" young people to be victims of sexual abuse has reemerged in recent years as a common political attack by far-right extremists. Drag performances that are open to all ages are often implicated in these attacks, which spurred drag ban proposals in several state legislatures this year, including Arizona.

Boyles is also included on Turning Point USA's "professor watchlist," which the group describes as consisting of "professors who discriminate against conservative students and advance leftist propaganda in the classroom."

Earlier this year, ASU President Michael Crow asked Turning Point USA to remove ASU faculty from the list because of harassing messages. He referenced that request in his Saturday letter to faculty, saying that the list has resulted in "anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ+ and misogynistic attacks on ASU faculty with whom Turning Point USA and its followers disagree."

Those incidents, he said, are "anti-democratic, anti-free speech and completely contrary to the spirit of university scholarship, teaching and community."

"The incident we’ve all now witnessed on the video shows Turning Point’s refusal to stop dangerous practices that result in both physical and mental harm to ASU faculty members, which they then apparently exploit for fundraising, social media clicks and financial gain," Crow wrote.

How will Arizona State University protect faculty?

Boyles previously criticized ASU leaders, saying they have "made the university a safe space for bigots of all kinds, partly in pursuit of donations from right-wing billionaires and partly because they are just cowards."

On Saturday, he told The Republic that he would be critical again "if actionable steps are not put into place" to protect faculty.

"But for now I thank President Crow and the rest of the university community for their support," he said.

On Friday, university officials pointed to the school's threat assessment and management team as an option to assist faculty experiencing harassment or intimidation. That group works to respond in a "timely manner to all reports of harassment or threats, help employees navigate appropriate resources for support and work with ASU PD and other law enforcement agencies as appropriate," said ASU spokesperson Veronica Sanchez.

ASU also has a team that "actively monitors and investigates all potential online threats and harassment, working closely with law enforcement," Sanchez said.

If a faculty member or student is experiencing a life-threatening emergency, they should call 911, ASU officials said.

The university's non-emergency police line is 480-965-3456, officials said.

Students, faculty and staff can also submit anonymous tips to ASU police via the ASU LiveSafe app, officials said.

Sasha Hupka covers higher education for The Arizona Republic. Do you have a tip on Arizona's universities, community colleges or trade schools? Reach her at sasha.hupka@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @SashaHupka. Follow her on Instagram or Threads: @sashahupkasnaps.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Michael Crow and Fred DuVal condemn actions of Turning Point USA