A University of Kansas instructor has been placed on leave after a viral video showed him suggesting that men who refuse to vote for a female president should be shot, sparking outrage and prompting calls for his dismissal.
An instructor at the University of Kansas has been placed on administrative leave after a controversial video surfaced on X, showing him making inflammatory remarks during a class. In the video, the instructor suggested that men who refuse to vote for a female president should be shot, sparking outrage both on campus and across social media.
“If you think guys are smarter than girls, you’ve got some serious problems,” the instructor said in the video. “There are going to be some males in our society that will refuse to vote for a potential female president because they don’t think females are smart enough to be president. We could line all those guys up and shoot them. They clearly don’t understand the way the world works.” After making the remark, he seemed to realize the gravity of his words, quickly adding, “Did I say that? Scratch that from the recording. I don’t want the deans hearing that I said that.”
The video, posted by conservative political figure Ned Ryun, quickly went viral, drawing attention from Kansas politicians and prompting swift action from the university. KU confirmed the video’s authenticity and announced the instructor’s placement on leave while an investigation is conducted.
"The instructor offers his sincerest apologies and deeply regrets the situation," said Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, a KU spokesperson. "His intent was to emphasize his advocacy for women’s rights and equality, and he recognizes he did a very poor job of doing so."
The Kansas Board of Regents also weighed in, with President Blake Flanders condemning the use of violent rhetoric. “Every American citizen has the right to vote how they see fit without fear of retribution or violence,” Flanders said in a statement. “The Regents firmly oppose the use of violent rhetoric in our political discourse.”
Kansas politicians, including U.S. Senator Roger Marshall and Attorney General Kris Kobach, expressed their outrage over the incident, with Marshall calling the remarks “deranged” and demanding the instructor be fired.
While the instructor has not been officially named by the university, his identity has circulated on social media. His faculty page on the KU Athletics website has been removed, though his name still appears in the university’s online directory.
The incident has reignited debates on free speech, the role of educators in political discourse, and the boundaries of acceptable rhetoric in academic settings. KU has stated that it will follow its established processes in handling the situation.
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