A university in Virginia has placed an assistant professor on administrative leave “effective immediately” after the academic’s research on pedophilia went viral on social media and prompted safety concerns. Allyn Walker, an assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice at Old Dominion University, gave an interview this month about a book they wrote that seeks to distinguish between pedophiles and “minor-attracted people” who do not act on their attraction. While Walker, who uses they/them pronouns, stressed that “child sexual abuse is never okay,” they were accused of sympathizing with pedophiles after stating in the interview that “having an attraction to minors as long as it isn’t acted on, doesn’t mean that the person who has those attractions is doing something wrong.”

The comments were met with immediate backlash both on social media and on campus, where students gathered and demanded Walker’s firing, according to WAVY. The university responded swiftly late Tuesday, announcing the assistant professor’s administrative leave in a statement that said “reactions” to Walker’s research “have led to concerns for their safety and that of the campus.” “Furthermore, the controversy over Dr. Walker's research has disrupted the campus and community environment and is interfering with the institution’s mission of teaching and learning,” the university said.