Texas A&M removes professor, dean, and department head after student questioned gender theory lessons
The DOJ is reviewing an incident at Texas A&M after a professor asked a student to leave class when the student challenged gender theory content.
The professor has been fired, and TAMU’s president removed the dean and department head after confirming the course content deviated from its official description.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) will investigate an incident at Texas A&M (TAMU) captured in videos showing a student asked to leave class after challenging a professor’s views on gender theory.
The video, shared by Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison, captures the student confronting Dr. Melissa McCoul during a lecture. The student argued the lesson violated President Donald Trump’s executive orders, after which the professor ordered the student to leave the classroom.
On Sept. 8, TAMU President Mark Welsh stated that, in response to the incident, he had directed the provost to remove the dean and department head from their administrative positions. The professor was also fired after the confrontation.
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“I learned this afternoon 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 stated. “As a result, I directed the provost to remove the dean and department head from their administrative positions, effective immediately.”
According to her biography on an archived version of TAMU’s website, McCoul was a Senior Lecturer whose research interests include gender studies, children’s literature, and young adult literature.
The video begins with McCoul recapping previous lessons, prompting the student to question the legality of the material. The student cited President Trump’s executive order, saying, “I am not going to participate in this because it’s not legal.”
The discussion ended with the professor kicking the student out of the class. “I’m not convinced that your proposal will be effective in stopping me from teaching things that are biologically true,” McCoul said in the video. “Because I have the legal and ethical authority and the professional expertise in this classroom. And it’s time for you to leave now.”
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon called the incident “deeply concerning” on X, confirming the civil rights division would review it.
Slides from the class emphasized sex, gender, and “queerness,” arguing young children should explore gender identity and challenging heteronormativity, according to The Daily Wire. One slide read, “Childhood is the time for figuring out how to be a boy, girl, man, woman, or another gender.”
One TAMU student expressed being “shocked” when he first saw the video, according to KRHD. “When I heard about the video from my roommate, I was honestly pretty shocked, and I’m pretty proud of the girl who stood up for what she believed in,” the student explained.
Campus Reform reported in December that TAMU cut over 50 programs, including its LGBTQ+ Studies minor, citing low enrollment and performance. At the time, Rep. Brian Harrison praised the decision, calling it a victory for taxpayers and criticizing leftist courses, including an “alternative genders class.”
Campus Reform has contacted the Department of Justice for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
