A Texas state representative on Monday released video he said shows a student being removed from a Texas A&M University class after challenging transgender-related course content, prompting the university to remove two administrators from their posts and drawing calls for further disciplinary action from state leaders.
State Rep. Brian Harrison, R., posted the footage on X alleging the student was expelled from a Children’s Literature class after objecting to what Harrison described as persistent transgender and diversity, equity and inclusion instruction. Harrison said a student who recorded the incident interrupted the lecturer and asked whether it was legal to teach “gender ideology,” citing former President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III addressed the matter in a post on the university's X account, saying he had learned that "key leaders in the College of Arts and Sciences approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent with the course’s published description." Welsh said he directed the provost to remove the college dean and the department head from their administrative positions "effective immediately."
"Our students use the published information in the course catalog to make important decisions about the courses they take in pursuit of their degrees," Welsh wrote. "If we allow different course content to be taught from what is advertised, we let our students down. When it comes to our academic offerings, we must keep our word to our students and to the state of Texas."
Harrison, who said a student whistleblower provided video evidence to his office, accused the instructor of encouraging "criminal child grooming" and alleged the class forced students to learn a graphic known as the "gender unicorn," which Harrison described as propagandizing "extreme transgender ideology." He said he has filed 14 bills to end taxpayer funding of DEI and LGBTQ programs in Texas, all of which he said were blocked in the Texas House, and urged Gov. Greg Abbott to call a special legislative session to advance the measures.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday posted on X that the professor should be fired. The university did not identify the instructor in Welsh’s post or in the statement he released to media inquiries but said the investigation into course content was the basis for the administrative changes.
The incident adds to ongoing disputes in Texas and other states over instruction related to gender identity and university diversity programs. Republican lawmakers and conservative activists have criticized DEI initiatives and certain instructional materials as inappropriate for students, while university officials and faculty members have defended academic freedom and curriculum choices as matters of scholarly judgment and course design.
Texas A&M said it removed the dean and department head from administrative positions because course instruction diverged from what was published in the course catalog, and that the provost had been directed to address the issue. Harrison called for the removal of the university’s president and for defunding of DEI and LGBTQ programs supported by state funds.
Requests for additional comment from the university and from Harrison's office were referred to posted statements. The university's actions, and the state leaders' calls for further personnel action, indicate a fast-moving response to the video and allegations while the university reviews the matter and its academic oversight procedures.