TL;DR
- Texas A&M fired professor Melissa McCoul over a gender identity lesson.
- The firing followed a viral video shared by Brian Harrison claiming the lesson was “illegal.”
- University leaders Mark A. Welsh III and others were removed from posts tied to the controversy.
- The case fuels fears over eroding academic freedom and LGBTQ inclusion on campus.
- Students recently found hundreds of discarded LGBTQ-themed books at the university.
Texas A&M’s Gender Identity Purge Sparks Uproar
The chill in Texas classrooms just got a whole lot frostier. Texas A&M University has fired longtime English professor Melissa McCoul after she dared to mention gender and sexuality in a children’s literature course — a move that’s set off alarm bells about the university’s ongoing crusade against LGBTQ representation.
McCoul’s ouster came days after a now-viral video showed a student interrupting her lecture, declaring the content “illegal” under a Donald Trump executive order that says federal funds can’t promote “gender ideology.” The video was posted by Republican state Rep. Brian Harrison, who also dropped alleged emails and audio of top A&M brass discussing the matter. McCoul didn’t back down in class, telling the student, “What we are doing is not illegal,” before asking her to take the issue to administrators — and to leave.
Instead of backing their educator, university leaders folded. President Mark A. Welsh III removed the English department head and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, then announced McCoul’s termination, claiming her lesson “did not align” with the course description. McCoul’s lawyer, Amanda Reichek, blasted the move, insisting her client had followed all guidelines and taught similar material “for many years, successfully and without challenge.” She says McCoul is appealing and eyeing legal action.
A Campus Turning Its Back on LGBTQ Voices
This isn’t a one-off — it’s part of a disturbing pattern. Last year, Texas A&M axed its LGBTQ+ Pride Center after a state law banned diversity, equity and inclusion programs. It also suspended transition-related health care for trans students. Earlier this year, a judge had to block the university’s attempt to ban drag shows on campus venues, calling the ban likely unconstitutional.
And now, students are finding evidence of what looks like a quiet purge. One student stumbled across a box stuffed with LGBTQ-related books at the school’s Surplus Property Office, a warehouse where unwanted materials are discarded. Inside were titles like The Meaning of Matthew, The Velvet Rage and The B Word: Bisexuality in Contemporary Film and Television — queer classics apparently being sent to the trash. “It just felt really slimy,” the student said. “The whole point of a university is to be a space of exchange of ideas and thoughts, whether you agree with them or not.”
The university has stayed mum, refusing to answer questions about where the books came from or why they were removed from circulation. A warehouse manager admitted the books came from around campus but denied they were being targeted for their LGBTQ themes.
Academic Freedom on the Chopping Block
For LGBTQ students, staff, and allies, the message is loud and clear: discuss gender identity at your peril. The firing of McCoul signals a chilling precedent — one where political pressure trumps scholarship and the mere mention of LGBTQ lives becomes a fireable offense. It’s not just about one professor or one class. It’s about whether queer voices can survive on a campus seemingly intent on erasing them.
If Texas A&M’s goal was to scare educators away from affirming queer existence, it’s working. And that should terrify anyone who believes in education as a place for open minds — not witch hunts.