Boykins under fire for words to teens
Houston City Councilman and mayoral candidate Dwight Boykins is facing backlash for a recent incident in which he allegedly advised a group of students to “keep their legs closed,” among other comments that some attendees said made them feel uncomfortable.
The District D councilman’s remarks came Friday afternoon during a youth advocacy summit, where Boykins and Mayor Sylvester Turner separately addressed middle and high school students about getting civically engaged.
While talking to a roomful of teenagers, Boykins told the students to “keep their legs closed” and joked about dating one of them, according to accounts from multiple students.
In a statement issued Monday, Boykins said he was asked to offer the students “words of inspiration” and “help them understand the
important role they play in our future.” He said he intended to “speak frankly about the pitfalls, which I have seen derail the future of many of our youth, including teen pregnancy … an issue I have firsthand experience with in my own family.”
The full context of Boykins’ interaction with the students remains unclear, though a video posted on Twitter shows the councilman asking a teenage girl to stand next to him while he addresses the crowd. At one point, Boykins appears to recount a hypothetical situation, where he said, “I’m (going to) lie and tell her how much I love her, how beautiful she is, how sweet she is.”
“Because councilman Boykins is so much taller than her you could tell the girl felt very uncomfortable to be touched by him,” a student, Hajra Alvi, wrote in a message shared on social media.
Alvi said the councilman jokingly asked a student if she had a boyfriend, and “if councilman Boykins could be the boyfriend.” It was not immediately clear if the student was the same one from the video.
Boykins issued an initial statement Saturday in which he said his sole objective was to lay “a positive path forward for our youth.”
“My words were (meant) to inspire, and I deeply regret the extent to which they caused anyone hurt or discomfort,” Boykins said. “That was never my intention, and to anyone who may have taken offense by what I said, I apologize.”
Mi Familia Vota and the greater Houston chapter of OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates co-hosted the event held at the Westchase Marriott Hotel. The groups issued a joint statement Saturday saying they investigated the incident and “took immediate action of notifying the appropriate authorities.”
“To our great concern and disappointment, Boykins diverged from the program purpose and instead made statements and engaged in conduct that was wholly unacceptable,” the groups wrote.
An invitation to Boykins, released to reporters Monday, shows he was invited to talk about his personal story, time as a council member and why he is running for office, while Turner was invited to hold an “intimate conversation” on mental health, criminal justice and other policy topics.
In an audio recording of a segment of the event, a female student can be heard confronting Boykins about his comments.
“You’ve made some comments that have made me a little bit uncomfortable. You’ve joked about dating some of us,” the student said.
“Not dating you. I mean, that was an example,” Boykins interjected.
“You’ve pulled and singled out a few of the girls, you’ve told us to keep our legs closed,” the student continued, also alleging that Boykins “didn’t really answer” a question about gender equality.
Boykins responded by apologizing and insisting he did not intend to make the group uncomfortable.
“That’s really important for me to know that you understand, it wasn’t personal,” Boykins said. “It was trying to warn you guys what’s out there.”
One female student described the room as being “tense, but people were afraid to say something.”
In a second statement Monday, Boykins said “a few seconds” of his talk “overshadowed my entire conversation, which was meant to ensure that our youth have the best opportunity to succeed in life.”