It’s striking to see the number of professors and administrators who still insist on defying President Trump’s executive order against inserting gender identity into the classroom. I suspect that some of them think they will not be stopped because there are so many leftist professors who support their efforts, and administrators who will ignore them.

In the case of Texas A&M, however, one student chose to call out a professor who insisted on flouting the order. Here’s the viral video:

As a result of the student’s protest, as well as a Texas state legislator, university president Mark A. Welsh III fired Professor Melissa McCoul:

Earlier this month, Welsh fired Melissa McCoul, who taught English, after a student taking her children’s literature class objected to the professor’s statement that there are more than two genders. Welsh also removed two administrators from their duties because they ‘approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent’ with the course’s description, he said.

In the wake of the controversy, Welsh stepped down from his position and left the university.

There are some noteworthy points: First, it’s not clear why Professor McCoul, as an instructor at a public university, felt she could defy not only the president of the United States, but also the president of the university. She was reportedly asked to change the curricula and allegedly refused to do so:

In a statement provided to Newsweek, Amanda Reichek, McCoul’s attorney, said McCoul's notice of termination ‘alleges that she was ‘instructed on numerous occasions to change the course content to align with the catalog description and the course description that was originally submitted and approved’’ but had failed to do so.

The second point to consider is that a student was prepared to challenge a professor, even though the professor insisted she was not breaking the law—technically she wasn’t because an EO is not law—this is encouraging. Especially significant is that a Texas state legislator, Brian Harrison, R-Midlothian, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, stepped in to protest Welsh’s earlier decision to side with the teacher. (Texas A&M is a state-run school and is subject to input from the legislature.) Here’s Harrison’s statement about Welsh:

‘His ambivalence on the issue and his dismissal of the student’s concerns by immediately taking the side of the professor is unacceptable,’ Patrick posted on X last week. ‘Most parents, students, and Aggie alumni expect Texas A&M to reflect the values of our state and our nation as well as A&M’s rich history. If President Welsh will not or cannot reflect those values, then change needs to happen.’

And, no one is surprised that professors are claiming that President Trump’s Executive Order was an attack on the university:

The case also raised serious questions about academic freedom at Texas A&M and prompted pushback from faculty members who argued that McCoul’s termination was unnecessary and unjust. The American Association of University Professors also released a statement arguing that the ‘firings set a dangerous new precedent for partisan interference in Texas higher education.’ 

Welsh’s resignation, arguably forced, is a clarion call to all schools that not only President Trump but the majority of the country, is serious about taking the nation back to traditional values, which no doubt means a refusal to indoctrinate classrooms into “gender” ideology.

Let schools, administrators, and teachers all over the country take note.

Image: Public domain.