Texas A&M Lecturer Sues After 2023 Firing, Alleging Free Speech and Due‑Process Violations

HOUSTON — Melissa McCoul, a former senior lecturer in Texas A&M University’s English department, filed a federal lawsuit in Houston this week alleging the university unlawfully dismissed her last year after political pressure over a classroom discussion about gender identity.

The dispute began after a video surfaced in July showing a student questioning whether a children’s literature lesson on gender identity complied with an executive order on gender issued by former President Donald Trump. The clip prompted public calls for McCoul’s termination from Republican officials, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and ignited intense debate across campus.

Two independent university panels later concluded that Texas A&M violated McCoul’s due‑process rights and lacked cause to fire her. Despite those findings, university leaders upheld the termination, McCoul’s complaint says.

“Today I did something that would have been inconceivable a year ago — I’ve sued Texas A&M to hold it accountable for violations of my Constitutional rights to free speech and due process of law. There’s no satisfaction in doing this, only sadness,” McCoul said in a statement accompanying the filing.

The lawsuit names former university president Mark Welsh, Interim President Tommy Williams, Texas A&M System Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the system’s Board of Regents as defendants. McCoul is seeking reinstatement and monetary damages.

Chris Bryan, vice chancellor for marketing and communications for the Texas A&M University System, said officials were aware of the filing but had not yet reviewed the complaint. “As this is pending litigation, we will not comment further, but we intend to vigorously defend against the claims,” Bryan said.

After McCoul’s dismissal, Chancellor Hegar ordered a systemwide audit of courses across all 12 institutions in the Texas A&M system. The lawsuit arrives amid broader changes at the university: Texas A&M recently announced it would end its Women’s and Gender Studies program, revise hundreds of syllabi and cancel several classes under a new policy that limits how instructors may address certain race and gender topics.

McCoul disputes the university’s stated reason for her termination — that she failed to align course content with the catalog description — and says her materials were fully consistent with the listed objectives. The complaint alleges the official explanations are inconsistent and asserts McCoul was fired because of the so‑called “liberal” or “woke” themes in her courses.

McCoul, who described teaching at Texas A&M as her “dream job,” had served on the faculty since 2017. In her filing she expressed continued attachment to the institution and said she hopes the lawsuit will deter similar treatment of other faculty members.