A law student at Pace University in New York claims he may face expulsion for allegedly “aggressively” pointing at a transgender-identifying student and misgendering them during a recent panel discussion on women’s sports. The student, 28-year-old Houston Porter, is currently under investigation for “sex-based discrimination” following the incident, which took place at the event on October 15.
Porter, who co-moderated the “Saving Women’s Sports” panel, said the event opposed a New York ballot measure to include gender identity and expression as protected categories under the state constitution. According to Porter, the event initially ran smoothly despite many of the attendees wearing transgender pride pins. However, the event resulted in chaos after he opened the floor for questions.
“The room kind of exploded,” he said, according to The Free Press. “There were a bunch of people in my face.”
The Free Press described the event as descending into “chaos,” with Pace professors openly clashing with the panelists. Professor Randolph McLaughlin reportedly shouted at the speakers, insisting that “trans girls are girls,” while another professor, Margot Julia Pollans, allegedly rushed the stage, shouting at the panelists.
“I felt like I was about to get swarmed,” Porter said. “It was surreal.”
After the event, Porter received an email from Pace’s Title IX coordinator, notifying him of an investigation into potential “sex-based discrimination.” The complaint alleged that Porter “aggressively pointed” at a transgender student and “purposefully referred to her as a man in front of classmates, law school faculty and administrators, and guests.” Porter will now face a disciplinary hearing that could lead to suspension or expulsion. He also expressed concerns that the case might impact his ability to pass the “character and fitness” review required for bar admission.
“Any type of punishment will be super detrimental to my reputation and to my professional career,” Porter explained. “It feels like my whole world is crumbling down. I feel like everything that I’ve been working toward might get destroyed over a misunderstanding.”
Porter has denied the allegations, calling them a “mischaracterization of the facts.” He stated that, given the loud environment, “maybe someone in the crowd heard me say ‘sir,’ or call some individual ‘a man’ when they don’t identify as that,” but he insisted he did not make any gestures towards anyone.
Title IX is a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational institutions receiving federal funds. Although Pace is a private nonprofit institution, it received over $15 million in federal grants in 2022.
Reflecting on the broader implications of the case, Brooklyn College history professor KC Johnson, an expert in Title IX disciplinary proceedings, commented to The Free Press, “When Congress passed Title IX, they never could have dreamed that a case like this would be invoked.”
