Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, one of the original members of Delta Force and later its commander, was fired from his teaching position at a Virginia college because of comments he made at a conservative gathering. The all-male college, Hampden-Sydney College, was apparently inundated with SJW’s demanding that the decorated hero be removed from his teaching post, so they removed him . . . only to then be faced with a new onslaught of outraged Americans demanding that the college reverse its decision. It did.
The Washington Free Beacon reports:
An all-male college in Virginia has reversed its decision to fire a prominent retired U.S. Army general hours after reports that he was removed over political correctness provoked outcry.Hampden-Sydney College decided to offer Lt. Gen. William “Jerry” Boykin a one-year contract, walking back its decision to fire Boykin after he made controversial comments about transgender bathrooms that angered LGBT activists.Fox News first reported Thursday that Boykin, an original member of the Delta Force who served as undersecretary of defense for intelligence under President George W. Bush, had been fired after nine years of teaching at the school after criticizing transgender bathrooms.“The first man who goes into the restroom with my daughter will not have to worry about surgery,” Boykin said of the debate surrounding transgender bathroom rules during a speech to conservatives in March.The comments angered LGBT activists, dozens of whom signed a letter demanding the college fire him. They accused him of calling for violence against transgenders, he said.“I never said homosexuals. I never said transgenders,” he told Fox. “I was really talking about these perverts who would use this as a way to get into the bathrooms with our wives and daughters.”
According to the Washington Free Beacon‘s report, Boykin received an outpouring of support once news of his firing was made public by Fox News’ Todd Starnes.
The Washington Free Beacon continues:
He said he was fired without warning and without being afforded the opportunity to defend himself. A representative for the college told Fox that his contract was “simply not renewed” and denied that the comments about transgender bathrooms were the “determining factor” in his firing. The representative did, however, expressed concern that the statement “appeared to advocate or approve of violence.”Boykin received an outpouring of support, including from Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas), a one-time presidential candidate.“Hampden-Sydney College has fired General Boykin. At a time where young people are desperately seeking hope and inspiration, you would think General Boykin (who had taught there nine years) would be one of their most valued faculty. But instead, he fell victim to the PC police,” Cruz wrote in a Facebook post.
Boykin is an outspoken opponent of Obama’s latest overreach concerning the use of bathrooms by transgender persons in public schools across this nation.
Boykin is Executive Vice President of the Family Research Center and is also, unsurprisingly, labeled an “extremist” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
In his statement upon the college reversing its decision to let him go, Boykin is gracious and offers some thoughts about the need to stand firm on principle and to push back against the SJW crowd.
I am pleased to announce that I have been rehired as the Wheat Professor at Hampden-Sydney College. I look forward to returning to Hampden-Sydney in the fall to continue my work equipping the next generation of young men to lead this nation. Hampden-Sydney College is a fine school with a proud history of young men who have led our country, and I am honored to be a part of shaping the next generation of leaders.With that said, I would like to share some thoughts on this experience.First, there is strength in unified numbers. The radical Left and LGBT activists completely underestimate the impact of #freedom-loving #Americans banding together to protect our First Amendment freedoms. Many people spoke out on my behalf and I am eternally grateful that they stood with me. Their unified voices allowed me to return to Hampden-Sydney.
He also notes that his “reinstatement is a victory for academic freedom and free thought on a college campus. The free exchange of conflicting ideas must be the bedrock of every college campus in America. This essential exchange has been greatly wounded by the PC police, but it can be restored to college campuses around the country if, in unity, freedom-loving Americans speak out. Bottom line: when you stand, freedom prevails.”
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