A Nevada university oversight leader faces calls to resign after referring to trans athletes as “men dressing up as women.”
Patrick Boylan came under fire for making those comments during a meeting of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents on Friday.
He said he had “one simple question” for athletic directors appearing before the board before asking: “Do we have men dressed as women playing on any of our teams and hurting any of the women?”
The question was closed by the board’s attorney, Michael Wixom, who warned that it was against federal privacy laws to collect and disclose that information. He warned directors not to respond and said any questions would have to be placed on a separate agenda.
Boylan’s comments were also criticized by the Nevada Faculty Alliance, which said it was “deeply angered by the repeated anti-transgender comments.”
Patrick Boylan faces calls to resign after referring to trans athletes as ‘men dressing up as women’
The alliance said it was “especially dismayed” by the regent’s “aggressive response” to a student leader who criticized his comments in the public comments section of the meeting.
Boylan told the student he had freedom of speech and continued to make inflammatory comments.
“If he hasn’t had his ‘you know what’ cut off or something like that, he’s still a man,” Boylan said.
The regent seemed to recognize that his question might be controversial and double-checked that he had the president’s permission to ask it before asking.
In the public comment section, Kevin Osorio-Hernández, president of the Nevada State Student Alliance, told Boylan that he was disappointed by the rhetoric and that he hopes he can “expand and change his paradigm.”
But Boylan stood by his position and confirmed to the Las Vegas Review who has no plans to resign.
He stated that “safety and freedom of expression” are more important than the feelings of the NFA, which he claimed had “totally misinterpreted” his comments.
He insisted he was doing the right thing by talking about women’s safety in sport and claimed to have been confused about the correct way to refer to trans people.
The Nevada Faculty Alliance, led by President Jim New, is now calling for his resignation over the comments.
The NFA said it was “deeply angered by the repeated anti-transgender comments”.
The regent defended his position and maintains that he was only trying to defend women in sports.
“If I used the wrong terms, then that’s fine,” he said, adding that he had received supportive emails since the meeting.
“They’re tired of all this woke nonsense,” he said. Boylan also told the outlet that he believes trans athletes should be able to compete in their own separate category.
On Tuesday, NSHE Chancellor Patricia Charlton sent a letter reminding community members of the importance of “being aware of our language” and the community’s commitment to “fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment.”
The NFA maintains that Boylan’s conduct runs counter to the board’s anti-discrimination policy.
“At the March 1 meeting, Regent Boylan also questioned the grades of students from underrepresented minority groups,” his statement added.
‘These are not isolated incidents. Regent Boylan has a history of racist and discriminatory comments that have been condemned by several students in the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), including the Associated Student Senate of the University of Nevada.
In 2022, Boylan suggested that white students were ignored during questions about the federal designation of Hispanic-serving institutions.
Boylan questioned why NSHE does not serve students of all ethnicities.
Boylan asked the athletic directors who appeared before the board: “Do we have men dressing up as women playing on any of our teams and hurting any of the women?”
The question was closed by board attorney Michael Wixom, who warned that it was against federal privacy laws to collect and disclose information about trans athletes.
“We have black students, we have students of color” and “white students are invisible,” she said during the meeting before asking if NSHE is interested in white students “or are we just saying, ‘Fuck them?'” she added.
Silver State Equality, Nevada’s LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, supported calls for Boylan to resign.
‘Mister. “Boylan’s comments not only directly attacked members of the LGBTQ+ community, creating an unsafe atmosphere of exclusion, but also violated the board’s own anti-discrimination resolution adopted in 2022,” he said in a statement.
‘While we commend the Board of Regents’ public response reaffirming their commitment “to fostering an environment of inclusion and respect for all individuals within the Nevada System of Higher Education,” they have not yet taken steps to remove Mr. Boylan of the board.
“Our higher education system, the students it serves, and the faculty and staff who help create an environment where all individuals feel valued and supported deserve better than Mr. Boylan.”
However, not everyone supports calls for his resignation.
Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Victor Joecks came to Boylan’s defense, saying he was being asked to resign “for claiming that a man is a man.”
Silver State Equality, Nevada’s LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, supported calls for Boylan to resign
Not everyone has supported calls for Boylan to resign over the controversy.
“There are multiple reasons for concern here,” he wrote in X. “First, these higher education professors are unwilling to acknowledge biological reality.
‘Secondly, the same people who talk about inclusion and the need to respect others do not tolerate someone who disagrees with them. So much for diversity of thought and freedom of expression.
‘Third, these professors (and the regents who support them) are proactively shutting down debate. The transgender issue depends on how men and women are defined.
“You can’t have a debate when one side is forced to adopt the false rhetorical assumptions of their opponents.”
While another commenter said: ‘I understand your desire to be recognized as the gender that matches your psyche. I support them within reason.
“But I will not agree to allowing biological males to participate in women’s amateur sports in high schools and colleges, not after decades of fighting to fund those programs.”