University of Kansas: Instructor Placed on Leave After Comment About Shooting Men Who Won’t Vote for a Woman

On October 9, 2024, the University of Kansas announced that an instructor, publicly identified as Phil Lowcock, had been placed on leave. Just days earlier, a video of Lowcock making a comment during class that men who refuse to vote for female presidential candidates “because they don’t think females are smart enough to be president” could be lined up and shot had gone viral. The video, apparently taken earlier in the semester, prompted significant public outrage. On October 11, the university announced that Lowcock had left the university. The same day, FIRE wrote the university explaining that Lowcock’s comments did not constitute a true threat and that the First Amendment protects hyperbole. We also urged the university to rescind any discipline of Lowcock resulting from the incident.