By Corinne Murdock |
The Arizona State University (ASU) professor who founded Drag Story Hour Arizona assaulted a cameraman, then issued a public statement claiming he was the victim.
ASU professor David Boyles is seen on video grabbing at the cameraman with Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a right-leaning activist nonprofit. Boyles lunged for the camera following a series of questions concerning Boyles’ beliefs and teachings posed by the cameraman’s colleague.
“Our TPUSA Frontlines reporter tried to ask self-professed ‘sex education obsessed’ queer ASU Professor David Boyles, a few simple questions. Refusing to answer, our cameras caught the exact moment Mr. Boyles assaulted, pushed, and clawed at our cameraman,” stated the organization.
Following TPUSA’s public statement, it appears that Boyles went to the media with his story. In its initial report, The Arizona Republic claimed in its headline that Boyles was targeted in a campus garage for his sexuality. The original headline read: “‘Targeted’: ASU Investigating After Queer Instructor Confronted in Tempe Campus Garage.” It also didn’t mention TPUSA or their video.
By the next morning, however, The Arizona Republic updated its headline to read, “‘You Can’t Run’: ASU Investigating After Queer Instructor Confronted By Turning Point USA ‘Crew.’”
AZ Free News asked The Arizona Republic whether they knew of the TPUSA video prior to publishing the original article. Their reporter didn’t respond by press time.
Boyles accused the TPUSA men of terrorism for filming him while asking him questions.
“Stop coddling these… terrorists,” wrote Boyles. “These people should be shunned from society.”
Boyles also stated on Instagram that he was jumped from behind by the TPUSA reporter asking questions. TPUSA countered in its video that Boyles fell and injured himself after the reporter removed him from their cameraman.
Also contrary to TPUSA’s video, Boyles claimed that the two individuals who questioned and filmed him had “shouted” at him.
“One filmed on his phone while the other shouted horrible and incendiary things at me, repeating standard right-wing nonsense about Drag Story Hour and also accusing me personally of pedophilia and hating America,” wrote Boyles. “[I feel] angry, violated, embarrassed and despairing at the fact that we have come to normalize this kind of harassment and violence.”
Boyles contested with AZ Free News reporting on his past remarks. The Arizona Republic, incorrectly referring to our outlet as “Arizona Free News,” recharacterized his post about planting pornographic LGBTQ+ books in libraries as “suggesting new titles to [Boyles’] local library.”
In his blog, Boyles said the community needed to “plant more queer books on the shelves of your local library,” with examples given of “Gender Queer” and “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” both of which contain LGBTQ+ pornographic material.
MEET THE ASU PROFESSOR BEHIND AZ’S DRAG QUEEN STORY HOUR
Elsewhere on his blog, Boyles encouraged people to advocate for LGBTQ+-inclusive, pleasure-centered sex education for minors.
“[A]busive, patriarchal fundamentalists […] fear the liberatory power of queer sexuality,” wrote Boyles.
Boyles accused AZ Free News of being a “right-wing propaganda website.” He has since hid his Substack behind a paywall, and made his Instagram page private.
Corinne Murdock is a reporter for AZ Free News. Follow her latest on Twitter, or email tips to corinne@azfreenews.com.
