This story was originally published in Them.
Bowing to pressure from political leaders, Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III has removed a dean and department head from their positions after a video of a student’s objection to gender identity being mentioned in class went viral.
In a September 8 statement, Welsh said he learned earlier that day 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.”
“As a result, I directed the provost to remove the dean and department head from their administrative positions, effective immediately,” Welsh continued. “When it comes to our academic offerings, we must keep our word to our students and to the state of Texas.”
It’s currently unclear whether Texas A&M’s College of Arts and Sciences’ dean and department head have left the university or will remain employed in different roles.
The move comes shortly after Texas Rep. Brian Harrison shared a series of clips to X on Monday in which an unnamed student in a children’s literature course objects to the subject of gender identity being taught in class. One video captures audio of the student citing President Donald Trump’s statement that “he would be freezing agencies’ funding programs that promote gender ideology.”
“I am not going to participate in this because it’s not legal, and I don’t want to promote something that is against our president’s laws, as well as against my own religious beliefs,” the student says.
“If you are uncomfortable in this class, you do have a right to leave,” the class’ professor says.
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When the student mentions being in contact with Welsh about the class’ material, the teacher replies, “I’m not convinced that your proposal will be effective in stopping me from teaching things that are biologically true, because I do have the legal and ethical authority, [and] professional expertise in this classroom.”
In another audio clip in which the student is allegedly speaking to Welsh, he invokes the professor, asking, “What do you expect us to do? Fire her?”
“Yes,” the student says, to which Welsh replies, “Well, that’s not happening.”
The Trump administration has enforced the president’s ideology by threatening to withhold federal funds from various educational institutions. When school districts in Virginia refused to comply, the Department of Education put them on “high-risk” status forcing them to pay their education expenses up front and then request reimbursement.”
The administration has also sought tens of millions of dollars in concessions from universities such as Columbia and Harvard. In August, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher — a Trump appointee — struck down two of the administration’s attempts to strip federal funding from K-12 schools, colleges, and universities with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
In another X post, Harrison also shared an alleged photo of the graphic that prompted the student’s objections. It features the “Gender Unicorn,” an educational resource created by Trans Student Educational Resources that identifies subjects like gender expression, gender identity, sex assigned at birth, and physical and emotional attraction.
In a September 8 statement shared to X regarding the incident, Texas A&M System Chancellor Glenn Hegar said that “early investigations appear to indicate that the professor who taught this course failed to comply with clear instructions to align course descriptions with course materials.”
“Further findings reveal that this failure continues to be an issue with this professor,” Hegar continued. “I will work with the Board of Regents to make certain that the A&M system takes the disciplinary action necessary to ensure this does not happen again at one of our campuses.”
This isn’t the first time that Welsh has faced pushback from state officials based on the Trump administration’s anti-DEI policies. In January, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to fire Welsh after right-wing figure Christopher Rufo shared screenshots on X of an email inviting Texas A&M students to attend a conference for Black, Hispanic, and Native American students. Texas’ Senate Bill 17 — which was signed into law in 2023 — prohibits public higher education institutions from engaging in “certain specified diversity, equity, and inclusion activities.” In a follow-up response shared to social media, Welsh said that Texas A&M “will continue to honor both the letter and the intent of the law.”
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