TL;DR
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott wants professors gone if they teach “leftist ideologies”
- Universities are auditing all transgender-related coursework
- LGBTQ clubs already banned in K-12 schools
- Professors fired for acknowledging more than two genders
- Queer students report rising harassment as protections disappear
Education or Indoctrination? Abbott Wants the Closet Back on Campus
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has found yet another enemy: college professors who acknowledge LGBTQ+ people exist. The conservative governor bragged online that he’s ready to clean house, declaring that professors who “push leftist ideologies” — like science and human identity — are the reason America is going downhill. Because apparently the biggest threat to national security is a PowerPoint on gender diversity.
Abbott cheered after a University of Texas professor said he was dumped from his admin job over “ideological differences,” and promised he’s not stopping there. “Texas is targeting professors who are more focused on pushing leftist ideologies rather than preparing students to lead our nation,” he wrote, adding that he’s done with “indoctrination.” Cute. Coming from the man aggressively rewriting reality to insist only two genders exist.
Meanwhile, the University of Texas System — the state’s largest public university network — is now auditing every course mentioning transgender people. Officials claim it’s all just a compliance check, but the timing screams political intimidation. Results will be handed to the Board of Regents in November — just in time for them to decide whether queer students should learn anything about themselves ever again.
Professors Punished for Scientific Facts
One bombshell case: Dr. Melissa McCoul of Texas A&M. She dared to tell a literature class the truth — that biology is more complex than “pink or blue.” A student complained, conservatives lost their wigs, and suddenly she was fired, while her dean and department head were shoved out of their roles. She’s fighting back legally — because educators shouldn’t lose their careers for refusing to teach fairy tales.
Though public universities technically aren’t banned from covering LGBTQ topics, Texas politicians have found new and nastier ways to silence them. K-12 schools already face a brutal “Don’t Say Gay” law that doesn’t just block discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity — it literally bans LGBTQ student clubs outright. Because nothing says “freedom” like government outlawing a group of teens meeting after school.
Queer Students Pay the Price
While Abbott flexes for far-right voters, transgender and nonbinary students say Texas campuses are turning hostile. Harassment is rising. Support programs are vanishing. Instead of fostering brighter futures, leadership is encouraging students to bully their queer peers into silence.
And if the governor gets his way, educators who show compassion, diversity offices that save lives, and classroom spaces where queer youth feel seen… will all disappear.