In a recent disturbing incident on the Arizona State University campus, a queer instructor, David Boyles, was approached and harassed by two associates from the right-wing organization Turning Point USA.
The confrontation, partly captured on video, escalated into physical violence, leaving Boyles with facial injuries, as detailed byInside Higher Ed.
Boyles teaches English at the school and is a co-founder of Drag Story Hour Arizona. Drag Story Hour is a national nonprofit with chapters across the country. The groups organize drag events where performers read to kids at libraries, books stores, and other places.
The video commences with one of the Turning Point USA associates approaching Boyles, seeking to engage him in conversation.
“Hey there, David. How you doing?” he says in what is a clear ambush.
Despite Boyles’ reluctance to engage, the right-wing activist proceeds with intrusive questions, asking, “So let me ask you, when did you decide to get obsessed with sex education?” and further prodding about Boyles who refused to answer any questions.
“So if I ask you how long you’ve been attracted to minors or how long you’ve fantasized about minors having sex with adults and why you write about it in children’s books, what are you going to tell me?” the agitator asks the instructor who continues to ignore the questions.
As the encounter unfolds, the Turning Point USA activist continues with accusations and derogatory remarks, questioning Boyles’ stance on exposing children to drag culture and accusing him of harboring hatred towards Americans.
The man said, “Why do you feel like children need to be exposed to drag? Why is that something that children should be exposed to, and why do you feel that drag queens benefit from children being present at drag shows where they shake their genitals and their fake breasts?”
A report by Phoenix Fox affiliate KSAZ sheds light on security footage from ASU, which shows Boyles identifiable in white attire while the two Turning Point USA associates are clad in black. One holds a camera, and the other conducts a walk-and-talk-style interview. At a point, as he begins to cross a street, Boyles appears to shove the camera away, leading to the person who was badgering him with questions, running up behind him and pushing him down.
Shortly after, another person rushes to aid Boyles. As they walk away, the Turning Point USA members follow them until they all move out of the camera’s sight.
Turning Point USA has previously targeted Boyles on its Professor Watchlist for his advocacy of inclusive programs like Drag Queen Story Hour, according to Inside Higher Ed.
The confrontation escalated physically, with both sides alleging assault. Turning Point USA claimed on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Boyles assaulted their cameraman, while Boyles asserted that he acted to block the camera from filming him amidst an onslaught of harassment.
The university administration and ASU campus police are investigating the incident as a potential aggravated assault case with a bias towards LGBTQ+ individuals. ASU reiterated its commitment to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for its community, condemning harassment or threatening behavior.
ASU President Michael Crow called out the attack in a letter posted over the weekend.
“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 said in a letter on ASU's website.
Reflecting on the harrowing ordeal, Boyles expressed his distress on social media.
He said: “I’m also feeling angry, violated, embarrassed, and despairing at the fact that we have come to normalize this kind of harassment and violence against anyone who tries to support LGBTQ+ youth (ironically the topic of the class I had just finished teaching) or just LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized groups in general.”
“Whether it is bomb threats against children’s hospitals and libraries, a store owner being killed for her pride flag, or the now standard rhetoric that anyone who supports LGBTQ+ youth is a ‘groomer,’ it has to stop,” Boyles said in the post.
