Professors Under Fire: Universities Curtail Teaching On Gender And Race Amid Legal And Political Pressure

Professors Under Fire As Institutions Restrict Classroom Teaching On Gender And Race

College instructors across the United States are confronting new institutional limits on how gender and race are taught, prompting concerns about academic freedom and free speech. Recent disputes at public universities in Oklahoma and Texas highlight a broader clash between faculty, students and governing bodies over classroom content.

University Of Oklahoma Case: At the University of Oklahoma (OU), a junior, Samantha Fulnecky, received a zero on an essay assignment after citing the Bible and arguing that teaching multiple genders was "demonic." Fulnecky has accused her graduate-student instructor of religious discrimination; the instructor has been placed on leave while the matter is reviewed.

The instructor told The Oklahoman the grade reflected academic concerns: the essay "does not answer the questions for this assignment, contradicts itself, heavily uses personal ideology over empirical evidence in a scientific class, and is at times offensive." The assignment asked students to read a study on "gender typicality, peer relations, and mental health" and to write an essay addressing aspects of that research.

Texas Incidents And Guidance: In Texas, several institutions have adopted restrictive policies or guidance about classroom instruction. The Texas Tech University System recently issued a memo saying faculty may not teach that there are more than two genders and stating that state law and federal policy recognize only two sexes: male and female. The memo also requires course content related to gender identity to be submitted for review to the Board of Regents.

Angelo State University previously banned classroom content described as LGBTQ-related and limited faculty use of transgender students' preferred names and pronouns in email signatures. At Texas A&M, professor Melissa McCoul was dismissed after removing a student who challenged material she presented that included a graphic called a "gender unicorn," used to explain gender expression.

Responses From Advocates And Experts: Free-speech and higher-education advocates warn that such policies could chill classroom discussion and undermine academic freedom. Jonathan Gooch, communications director for Equality Texas, noted that while universities may be reacting to political pressure from lawmakers who control funding, "there is no law that prevents any professor from teaching about gender identity in the state of Texas," and that the 2023 anti-DEI law did not explicitly restrict academic instruction.

"The memo is clearly implying that if faculty members don’t adhere to what the state determines is acceptable to say about these topics in class, they’re going to face punishment, and that’s deeply, deeply chilling for faculty and academic freedom rights," said Graham Piro, a campus advocacy fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.

Leonard Bright, president of the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors, urged instructors to continue teaching according to scholarly standards despite potential consequences: "We have a moral obligation. There are some things that are worth the consequences," he said, warning that sustained restrictions could "fundamentally destroy higher education."

Legal And Institutional Outlook: Experts expect legal challenges and advocacy to be primary avenues for contesting restrictive campus policies. The dismissed Texas A&M professor is appealing her termination, and while some observers have labeled moves by Angelo State and Texas Tech unlawful, those institutions had not been publicly sued at the time of reporting.

As policymakers and university leaders navigate political pressures, faculty and students are left in the middle of an evolving debate about the limits of classroom speech, curriculum oversight and the protection of academic inquiry.

Reporting cited material from regional outlets and campus advocacy groups. Copyright and original reporting credit belong to the outlets that originally covered these events.