Humphreys submits his resignation from OU board

As promised, Kirk Humphreys waited to resign from the University of Oklahoma Board of Regents until after the football team played its last game of the season.

Humphreys, the board’s vice chairman, submitted his resignation to Gov. Mary Fallin on Wednesday, effective immediately.

“Serving on the Regents has been a privilege for which I will forever be grateful,” he stated in his resignation letter. “Thank you for appointing me and allowing me to serve the people of Oklahoma in this way over these past six years.

Humphreys announced his decision to resign Dec. 21 after board members met behind closed doors to discuss a leadership change prompted by comments he made condemning homosexuality.

At the time, Humphreys indicated that he would wait to step down until after the football team played in “the national championship game.” The Sooners lost to Georgia in the Rose Bowl on Monday, falling one game short of playing for a national title.

Critics began calling for the former Oklahoma City mayor to resign from the OU board and other boards following a televised exchange with state Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, that aired Dec. 10 on KFOR’s “Flash Point.”

During the discussion, Humphreys said: “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, Virgin said, “I’m not saying homosexuality is wrong.”

Humphreys replied, “Well, I do.”

Those remarks rankled the LGBTQ community, some OU students and faculty members and others who questioned whether Humphreys was fit to lead.

As vice chairman, Humphreys was next in line to lead the board, which will select a successor to President David Boren, who is retiring June 30 after more than 23 years.

Fallin appointed Humphreys, a real estate developer and former Oklahoma City mayor, to a sevenyear term on the board in March 2012. The governor will appoint someone to serve the remainder of his term, spokesman Michael McNutt said. The state Senate must confirm the appointment.

In addition to submitting his resignation letter, Humphreys said a community forum at OU that he had agreed to participate in had been canceled.

Humphreys agreed to cancel the forum after meeting with J.D. Baker, OU’s student body president, according to a statement.

“We have discussed the matter and mutually come to the decision to cancel the forum,” he said. “We agree that, with my resignation, it is in the best interest of the University, the students and the Board of Regents to focus on the presidential search process and the future of the University.”