NSHE regent asked to resign over ‘anti-transgender comments’

The Nevada Faculty Alliance issued a statement Sunday saying it is “deeply angered by repeated anti-transgender comments” that Boylan made during a Friday quarterly meeting of the Nevada Board of Regents.

“We are especially appalled by his aggressive response to a student leader who gave public comment decrying remarks made earlier in the meeting,” the alliance said in its statement.

Boylan made his initial remarks Friday after four schools presented their annual athletics reports.

He said he had “one simple question” for athletic directors: “Do we have any men masquerading as women playing in any of our teams and hurting any of the women?”

Board attorney Michael Wixom responded that he thought what Boylan was asking athletic directors to disclose is a violation of federal law and he directed them not to respond.

Wixom said that if Boylan’s question is about transgender athletes, it needs to be on an agenda separately.

Later in the meeting, Boylan responded to a student’s public comment expressing concerns about Boylan’s language by saying there’s something known as freedom of speech.

He said he doesn’t have anything against anybody and stood by his earlier remarks.

“If he has not had his ‘you know what’ cut off or anything, he’s still a man,” Boylan said.

Comments about his language won’t shut him up or deter him from saying things in the future, he said.

No plans to step down

Boylan, who took office in 2021 and represents Clark County, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he’s not going to resign.

“Of course not,” he said Wednesday in response to a reporter’s question.

Boylan said he thinks he’s doing the right thing by talking about the safety of female athletes.

The safety of people and freedom of speech are more important than one group asking him to resign, he said.

Boylan said the Nevada Faculty Alliance and others “totally misconstrued what I was trying to get at.”

He noted he’s received many emails and phone calls from people commending him for his actions and understanding what he meant.

“They’re tired of all of this woke nonsense,” he said.

Boylan said the board attorney corrected him on the language he used of “men masquerading as women” and said the word is “transgender.”

“If I used the wrong terms, then OK,” he said, noting he’s not sure of what all terms are and that he’s not biased toward everybody.

Boylan said he believes transgender athletes should be able to compete and have their own groups, but noted that no matter what physical or chemical transformations they go through, they’re still men, and are much stronger, taller and bigger than women.

Response from NSHE

The faculty alliance wrote in its statement Sunday that Boylan’s behavior is offensive and violates the Board of Regents’ anti-discrimination resolution adopted in 2022.

In a Monday statement from Board of Regents Chair Amy Carvalho and Vice Chair Jeffrey Downs — which doesn’t reference Boylan by name — they wrote that they “offer our strong support to any individuals who felt excluded, offended, or disrespected by any comments made during the meeting.”

“In our perspective, public derogatory remarks directed at an individual or a class of individuals is inconsistent with the core values of our NSHE institutions, as evidenced by the Regents’ Anti-Discrimination Resolution passed by the Board in September of 2022,” they wrote.

The board will continue to work with the chancellor’s office to “ensure that NSHE’s campuses are safe and welcoming spaces for everyone,” Carvalho and Downs wrote.

‘Not isolated incidents’

The Nevada Faculty Alliance said in its statement that Boylan’s remarks are “not isolated incidents.”

“Regent Boylan has a history of racist and discriminatory remarks that have been condemned by a number of NSHE students, including the Senate of the Associated Students of the University of Nevada,” according to the statement.

In 2022, Boylan had a series of questions and comments about the federal designation of Hispanic-Serving Institutions — a topic that came up at a meeting where then-Chancellor Melody Rose delivered her “State of the System” address.

Boylan questioned why NSHE doesn’t serve students of all ethnicities.

“… We have Black students, we have colored students” and “white students are invisible,” he said during the meeting.

He also asked if NSHE was interested in white students “or do we just say, ‘Screw them?’”

Regent and student comments

During Friday’s meeting, a couple of regents and one student responded to Boylan’s remarks during a public comment period.

Kevin Osorio-Hernández, president of the Nevada State Student Alliance, said it was disheartening to hear a regent express abhorrent views toward a diverse group of students.

It’s important for educational leaders to foster an environment where everyone feels respected and valued, he said, telling Boylan, “I hope that you expand and change your paradigm.”

Regent Michelee Cruz-Crawford — who is chair of the board’s inclusion, diversity, equity and access committee — said that a Supreme Court ruling clearly underlines federal law and protects LGBTQIA+ students.

She said she looks forward to continuing to work with NSHE to create a safe space for everyone to thrive.  

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com. Follow @julieswootton on X.