Texas Tech Restricts Gender Identity Discussions, Raising Academic Freedom Concerns

Texas Tech Gender Identity Policy Limits Classroom Content

In a move unprecedented in Texas higher education, the Texas Tech University System issued a directive limiting classroom discussions on transgender and nonbinary identities. The decision has sparked immediate concern among students, faculty, and free speech advocates.

As reported by The Texas Tribune, the new guidance was sent via email to faculty across the system’s five universities. It instructs faculty to align course content with policies that recognize only binary genders, citing a Trump-era executive order, a letter from Gov. Greg Abbott, and the recently passed House Bill 229. The guidance does not specify what discussions are prohibited, leaving professors and departments uncertain about how to proceed.

This directive follows a series of recent controversies in Texas higher education. At Angelo State University, part of the Texas Tech System, faculty were recently instructed not to discuss transgender identities in class. Similarly, at Texas A&M, a professor was terminated after backlash over a classroom discussion on gender identity, prompting the resignation from the university’s president.

These developments reflect increasing state-level efforts to assert political control over public universities, including the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Campus Response in Lubbock

At Texas Tech’s campus in Lubbock, faculty and students reacted swiftly. Many expressed concern over the policy’s vagueness and potential impact on academic freedom. One professor, speaking anonymously, told The Texas Tribune, “Everyone is terrified.” A queer graduate student added, “If I had known a policy like this was a possibility, I wouldn’t have chosen Texas Tech.”

The directive may especially affect courses in women’s and gender studies, several of which remain full this semester despite uncertainty about future content. Faculty have been asked to review and potentially revise syllabi under guidance from university leadership. In an email Friday, Provost Ron Hendrick emphasized compliance with state law:

“The syllabus functions as a commitment between the university, the academic unit, the faculty, and the student… Failure to follow these requirements places the university out of compliance with state law and may result in corrective measures at the unit or college level.”

“The syllabus functions as a commitment between the university, the academic unit, the faculty, and the student … Failure to follow these requirements places the university out of compliance with state law and may result in corrective measures at the unit or college level,” wrote Hendrick.

Pushback From Free Speech Advocates

While Chancellor Tedd Mitchell described the issue as a “developing area of law,” legal experts and free speech organizations disagreed. Groups including the American Association of University Professors and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) argue that the directive violates First Amendment protections.

“This is an egregious attack on academic freedom,” said Chloe Kempf of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas. 

Jonathan Friedman of PEN America added: “What kind of university tells faculty and students what topics are prohibited in its classrooms? This is an ideological diktat, masked as legal compliance, to obscure its brazen unconstitutionality.”

Political Shifts and Uncertain Future

State Sen. Brandon Creighton, who has spearheaded many higher education reforms, is expected to be named the next chancellor of the Texas Tech System. His possible appointment reflects a broader trend of university boards elevating political figures amid growing state pressure.

Uncertainty remains about how the Texas Tech gender identity policy will be enforced and what its impact will be on teaching and recruitment. Faculty say retention has already been a problem due to under-resourcing and overwork. A recent AAUP survey found some are considering leaving their positions or leaving Texas altogether.