Video of clash over gender-identity content in Texas A&M children's lit class leads to firing, removals

Source: Texas Tribune

Facing growing political pressure, Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III announced Tuesday evening that a professor teaching a children’s literature course at the center of a viral recording was fired and that the university would conduct a full audit of its courses.

The announcement came after a video circulated online Monday showing a student confronting a professor over LGBTQ-related content in the class, sparking backlash from Republican lawmakers and calls for investigations, a response from the U.S. Department of Justice, and a statement from the Texas A&M System chancellor pledging to discipline the professor. A university spokesperson on Tuesday confirmed the professor was senior lecturer Melissa McCoul.

In his statement Tuesday, Welsh said changes were made over the summer to ensure that content not aligned within "reasonable expectation" of curriculum would not be taught after issues with the course were raised to university officials. Welsh later learned Monday night another course was continuing to teach material inconsistent with the published course description, resulting in the teacher's removal.

"This isn’t about academic freedom; it’s about academic responsibility," Welsh said. "Our degree programs and courses go through extensive approval processes, and we must ensure that what we ultimately deliver to students is consistent with what was approved."

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/08/texas-am-video-professor-student-gender-identity-content/