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The Latest Breaking News from Melissa McCoul

There’s an intensifying kind of threat to academic freedom – watchful students serving as informants

Texas AM University told philosophy professor Martin Peterson in early January 2026 that he could not teach some of Greek philosopher Plato’s writings that touch on “race and gender ideology.”

The Conversation

Texas A&M System declines to reinstate fired lecturer despite faculty panel’s findings

A vice chancellor upheld the firing of Melissa McCoul, seen in a viral video being confronted by a student on her gender identity teachings, saying the termination was done with “good cause.”

The Texas Tribune

Faculty panel: Texas A&M wrongly fired professor after gender lesson

Texas A&M did not have good cause to fire a professor after a video of a gender lesson created a political storm, and the school failed to follow due process, a faculty appeal committee found.

The Texas Tribune

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Texas A&M committee rules professor's firing over gender identity lesson was unjustified

A Texas A&M committee agreed the university was wrong to fire a professor earlier this year after a controversy over a classroom video that showed a student objecting to a children’s literature lesson about gender identity

The Independent UK

Texas A&M University professors now need approval for some race and gender topics

Texas A&M University System regents on Thursday adopted a new policy requiring professors to first get approval to discuss some race and gender topics

The Independent UK

Texas A&M system approves policy to restrict faculty from advocating “race and gender ideology”

Faculty are also prohibited from teaching material inconsistent with approved syllabi. The changes come in response to a recent controversy over gender identity classroom discussions.

The Texas Tribune

Texas A&M faculty panel report says professor’s firing violated her academic freedom

University officials dispute the faculty council’s conclusion. Melissa McCoul lost her job after a video of a classroom debate went viral.

The Texas Tribune

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Texas A&M System to vote on requiring prior approval for lessons that advocate “race and gender ideology”

The proposal appears to mark the first time a Texas university system offers definitions of what kind of instruction related to race and gender should not be permitted.

The Texas Tribune

Texas Tech system’s vague guidelines on gender identity spur more questions than answers

Faculty have spent weeks seeking clarity on new restrictions, which have often been issued by word of mouth. A written Q&A was rescinded.

The Texas Tribune

Former state lawmaker Tommy Williams named interim president of Texas A&M

Williams replaces former president Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned amid the fallout over a viral video showing an A&M student confronting a professor over a gender-identity discussion.

The Texas Tribune

McCarthyism’s shadow looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity

Texas AM University announced the resignation of its president, Mark A. Welsh III, on Sept. 18, 2025, following a controversial decision earlier in the month to fire a professor over a classroom exchange with a student about gender identity.

The Conversation

Texas A&M System regents authorize settlement with former president

Details of the agreement with Mark A. Welsh III, who resigned as leader of the flagship university on Sept. 19, will not be revealed until it is finalized.

The Texas Tribune

'The Right Moment for Change': Texas A&M President Quits a Week After Firing Professor Over Gender Lesson

Texas A&M President Mark Welsh III steps down amidst a fierce gender identity row. A professor was fired after a student's protest in class sparked political outrage.

International Business Times UK

How a secret recording of a gender identity lecture upended Texas A&M

Officials have struggled to detail the exact reasons for the A&M professor’s termination, citing a technical issue with her course description. Faculty say the move was politically motivated.

The Texas Tribune

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The Independent UK

Texas A&M University president resigns after pressure over literature class that recognized more than two genders

Texas A&M University’s president is stepping down after facing criticism over a classroom video that showed a student objecting to a children’s literature lesson about gender, which led to the professor’s firing

International Business Times UK

Who Is Mark A. Welsh III: Embattled Texas A&M University President Resigning After 'DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination' Video Goes Viral

Texas A&M president Mark A. Welsh III resigns following controversy over a gender identity lesson that sparked widespread political and public backlash.

The Texas Tribune

Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III to step down after a week of turmoil over viral classroom video

Calls for Welsh’s ousting intensified over his handling of a student’s complaints about gender identity discussions in a children’s literature class.

The Texas Tribune

Student who mocked Charlie Kirk’s death “no longer” at Texas State University as clampdowns continue

The university's announcement came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott called for the student's expulsion.

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The Texas Tribune

Faculty, advocacy groups fear Texas A&M firing threatens academic freedom

The firing happened over two years after Texas A&M stressed its support for academic freedom and amid a changing higher education landscape.

The Guardian - US

Women’s suffrage is apparently up for debate again in America

The country’s finest male intellectuals – including some in positions of power – are weighing in on the matter

The Texas Tribune

Texas State fires professor accused of trying to incite political violence in video

Thomas Alter is the second professor in the state to be terminated for allegedly violating university policy after a video was posted on social media.

The Texas Tribune

Texas A&M professor fired after viral video disputes termination

An attorney for Melissa McCoul, seen in a video clashing with a student over gender-identity content in her class, said the professor is weighing her legal options.

The Independent UK

Texas A&M professor fired after video shows classroom confrontation over gender identity coursework

A professor at Texas A&M University has been fired and others were removed from their positions after a video surfaced in which a student confronted the instructor over her teaching of issues related to gender identity in a class on children’s literature

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