A confrontation at the University of Utah went from a campus free-speech argument to an alleged physical assault, all after a whiteboard message about biological sex apparently proved too much for one visitor. The incident involved the University of Utah College Republicans and an individual who identifies as a woman and uses the name “Amber Grace.”
The College Republicans were holding a tabling event near the Marriott Library and had displayed a whiteboard reading, “There are only two genders,” while asking students to vote yes or no. According to the group, the individual approached the table, wiped the board clean by hand, and later returned after it was redrawn. When a member asked whether the person believed in free speech, the response was, “No, I think Republicans should be shot in the street, personally.”
That is a remarkably unhinged answer to a question about civil liberties. The confrontation then escalated when the individual demanded that the video be deleted. After the student recording the encounter refused, the individual allegedly lunged at him, tackled him to the ground, and tore his sweatshirt and shirt. Bystanders intervened and broke up the altercation.
Rylie Barnes, president of the University of Utah College Republicans, captured the confrontation on video and shared it online. The video post said the statement about Republicans being shot came moments before the student was assaulted.
Transgender man says: “I think Republicans should be shot in the street” moments prior to brutally assaulting a College Republican student.
Republican students aren’t safe around unstable men pretending they’re woman.
Follow @UtahCollegeReps pic.twitter.com/ivu9G2igfE
— Rylie (@Rylieparis05) October 28, 2026
Journalist Andy Ngo reported that the individual was Robert Jefferson Tulley, a Roblox game developer who has worked on children’s gaming projects for Gamefam Studios in Salt Lake City. Ngo described Tulley as the person accused of attacking the conservative student after making the statement about mass violence.
Ngo investigates: I've been able to find out the real identity of the trans violent extremist accused of attacking a @uofutah conservative student after wishing for mass deadly violence.
"Amber Grace" is the alias of Robert Jefferson Tulley. He's a Roblox game developer who has… https://t.co/cfYfF8vrt1 pic.twitter.com/56wFfpIIho
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) October 29, 2026
Tulley reportedly attempted to apologize before fleeing when police were called. University of Utah police later identified him and issued two Class B misdemeanor citations, one for simple assault and one for property damage. The university said the investigation remains ongoing, which means the citations are allegations, not a final determination of guilt.
Tulley told KUTV that he believed the charges were “bogus” and claimed he was “a victim of transphobic aggression.” He also said, “I believe I am a victim of transphobic aggression, and because the University protects the College Republicans and enables them to bully students, I was cited with these bogus charges.”
Several groups, including the Utah Anti-War Committee and the University of Utah Queer Student Union, argued that the College Republicans started the harassment. They said speaking against “transphobia” is not a crime and called on Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill to refuse the charges. The groups also demanded that the university ban the College Republicans from campus, according to a Cougar Chronicle report.
The University of Utah said it was offering “support and resources” to both students involved. Its statement described an argument over free speech and gender, acknowledged that the visiting student knocked the tabling student to the ground and tore his shirt, and confirmed the two citations.
Neither Roblox nor Gamefam Studios has publicly responded to the incident. For now, a campus argument that began with a marker and a debate over gender has produced police citations, competing claims of victimhood, and another reminder that free speech is often celebrated right up until someone hears an opinion they dislike.
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