OU Regents meet, take no action on Kirk Humphreys
Embattled Vice Chairman Kirk Humphreys did not attend Tuesday’s University of Oklahoma Board of Regents meeting in Oklahoma City.
About 100 of his detractors did, however, and most called for Humphreys to resign or the board remove him for comments he made on a Sunday morning talk show that appeared to connect homosexuality to pedophilia.
They got neither.
Panel members adjourned without publicly acknowledging Humphreys or his remarks or recognizing students who packed the meeting in protest.
Some said they felt slighted, including J.D. Baker, OU’s student body president. Baker said Humphreys needs to be held accountable for his actions.
“They’re very passive. The regents are passive,” he said. “And so while I respect the work that they do, they have to acknowledge the students.
“I mean, that’s the very least they could have done, they could have acknowledged the people there, all the allies in the room, but they chose not to.”
Regent Leslie J. Rainbolt-Forbes was complimentary of students following the meeting.
“We certainly support our student body being a part of the process of our meetings,” she said. “These are open meetings. It’s finals week. That takes a lot of effort on their part.
“I think that their presence spoke volumes and we’re certainly glad that they felt like this was a forum for them to attend.”
Troy Stevenson, director of the LGBTQ advocacy group Freedom Oklahoma, said Chairman Clay Bennett and OU President David Boren told him to be patient.
“We were told that they would speak with us later and that they were discussing the matter,” Stevenson said. “They said that we should be patient in a way that we believe there is something coming soon.
“We didn’t really get any answers, but we didn’t really expect any answers today.”
In a statement issued Monday, Bennett said the board “disagrees” with Humphreys’ remarks. He did not elaborate Tuesday.
Humphreys was heavily criticized by gay rights leaders, some OU students and others who accused him of comparing homosexuals to pedophiles during an exchange with state Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, on KFOR’s “Flash Point.”
The two and moderator Kevin Ogle were discussing sexual harassment and the recent resignations of several politicians when Humphreys brought up Barney Frank, suggesting Virgin was defending the openly gay former U.S. representative. He also mentioned Ralph Shortey, a disgraced former state senator who pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking after he was found in a motel room with a 17-year-old boy.
Humphreys: “Is homosexuality right or wrong? It’s not relative. There’s a right and wrong, you just said it. So it’s either right or wrong. If it’s OK then it’s OK for everybody. Quite frankly, it’s OK for men to sleep with little boys, if it’s OK.”
During another exchange, Humphreys said: “All I’m saying is there’s a right and a wrong.”
Virgin: “I’m not saying homosexuality is wrong.”
Humphreys: “Well, I do.”
Virgin on Tuesday threw her support behind OU students who organized the afternoon protest outside the Health Sciences Center library, students she said are “incredibly upset and dismayed” by Humphreys’ comments.
“I think Mr. Humphreys should resign. It’s clear that he doesn’t have the confidence of the student body right now, and their concern is that our Board of Regents is going to be looking for a new president soon and Mr. Humphreys is set to become the chair of the board.
“We need someone in that position searching for a president who’s going to be inclusive and think about all students when they’re selecting the next president.”
Protesters carried signs that read “WE STAND WITH THE LBGTQ community” and “YOU HAVE A RIGHT to your opinion NOT to be my regent.
Stevenson was joined by Joe Sangiardi, president and founder of OU’s LGBTQ Alumni Society, and Traci Baker, president of OU’s Queer Student Association.
“I think it sends an awful message to incoming students, to LGBTQ faculty and staff, and to the communities around the three universities that the board oversees, to have someone who is so flagrantly anti-LGBTQ leading the Board of Regents,” said Sangiardi, who flew in from Washington, D.C., to attend the meeting.
All three condemned Humphreys’ remarks and called for his resignation.
Humphreys apologized for his remarks Monday, telling The Oklahoman he didn’t mean to equate “homosexuality with pedophilia.”
“That was not my intention or desire,” he said in a text. “I apologize for my lack of clarity and realize this has resulted in a strong reaction by some and has hurt people’s feelings.
“For clarification, my moral stance about homosexuality is that it is against the teachings of Scripture. Although, I know that upsets some people, it is my belief. In America, we have the right to believe as we choose and to freely express that belief.”
That apology was not well-received by protestors who called it a “nonapology.”
Questioned by reporters following the meeting, Boren said he stood by a statement issued Monday in which he said Humphreys “was speaking as an individual and not on behalf of the university or me.”
“We’ve worked very hard to create a community at the University of Oklahoma where people respect each other, people are civil to each other, people value each other, they love each other and care about each other,” he said.
“We remain firmly committed to that kind of community, and no one person or comments by any one person can change our basic commitment to the kind of community that we’ve built at the university and that we’re very proud of and that we intend to preserve.”
Pressed further about Humphreys’ status, Boren said, “it’s only his decision, it’s his decision.”
“I think that everyone has made their comments and so, at this point in time, there’s nothing to do but wait and see how people react. He has that ultimate decision.”
Asked for Humphreys’ whereabouts Tuesday, OU spokesman Rowdy Gilbert said he was traveling but would not say where.
After the meeting, Regent Frank Keating was overheard saying Humphreys was “out of the country.”
Widespread condemnation of Humphreys’ remarks continued Tuesday.
Oklahoma City School Board Chairwoman Paula Lewis, called for Humphreys to resign from the John Rex Charter Elementary School board, which he chairs.
Lewis said in a statement Tuesday that “this type of rhetoric has no place in our school district.”
“Our board unanimously passed a resolution this past spring declaring unwavering support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students and staff,” she said. “The comments from Kirk Humphreys go against our school district’s values of inclusivity and equality. We believe there is strength in our diversity.”
OU sponsors John Rex, which is located with the Oklahoma City district boundaries. The 17-member board includes one current and two former Oklahoma City School Board members.