Texas A&M University has removed two academic officials following the fallout of a viral classroom video showing a professor telling a student to leave after raising objections to a lesson on gender identity.

The move came after state Rep. Brian Harrison, a Republican from Midlothian, posted the video online Monday, demanding the removal of A&M President Mark A. Welsh III and sparking national attention. By evening, Welsh directed his provost to remove a dean and department head from their administrative posts, citing course content that he said strayed from the published catalog.

“I learned this afternoon that key leaders in the College of Arts and Sciences approved plans to continue teaching course content that was not consistent with the course’s published description,” Welsh said in a statement shared by the university Monday night. “As a result, I directed the provost to remove the dean and department head from their administrative positions, effective immediately.”

 

U.S. Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon said her office would review the matter, calling it “deeply concerning,” the Houston Chronicle reported. Texas A&M System Chancellor Glenn Hegar also criticized the class materials, which included slides about gender identity, calling them “irreconcilable” with the system’s values.

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“It is unacceptable for A&M System faculty to push a personal political agenda,” Hegar posted on X.

 

Harrison’s original post on September 8 included hidden camera video, course materials, and letters to both the Trump administration and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The footage, which he said came from a “whistleblower,” showed a student telling the professor that teaching about gender identity was against her religious beliefs and not legal.

The professor responded that the student was mistaken and told her to leave.

“I’m not convinced that your proposal will be effective in stopping me from teaching things that are biologically true,” the professor said in the recording. “It’s time for you to leave now.”

Welsh initially suggested the professor would not be fired, according to additional recordings Harrison released, though he acknowledged A&M had offered alternative ways for students to complete the course.

By Tuesday morning, Harrison escalated his criticism, publishing what he described as internal A&M emails. In one post, he alleged a department head threatened the student with disciplinary action and pressured her not to release recordings in exchange for keeping her grade.

“Instead of firing the professor who kicked a conservative student out of class… the @TAMU Department Head BLAMED THE STUDENT FOR ‘DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR’… and tried to protect the professor by THREATENING THE STUDENT against the release of undercover videos,” Harrison wrote on X on September 9.

Texas A&M has not confirmed the authenticity of the emails Harrison published. A university spokesperson did not immediately respond Tuesday to questions about the materials.

The episode comes as lawmakers, such as Harrison, continue to press universities on compliance with the state’s 2023 ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Faculty advocates have warned that such scrutiny haults academic freedom, the principle that allows professors to pursue controversial research and teaching. Others argue that faculty are focusing more on indoctrination than on rigorous instruction.

Texas A&M’s summer course at the center of the controversy was a children’s literature class that incorporated lessons on gender. Harrison circulated screenshots of a handout titled “the gender unicorn” and a slide reading, “Let’s talk about gender in children’s Lit!”

In a separate audio clip Harrison posted, Welsh is heard defending the existence of LGBTQ studies courses, saying students preparing for careers in psychiatry, education, or nonprofits need that information to be more effective in their jobs.

“Those people don’t get to pick who their clients are, what citizens they serve, and they want to understand the issues affecting the people they’re going to treat,” Welsh said in the recording.

The university has not disclosed whether the professor in the video remains employed or under investigation.

Harrison and Welsh have previously had dust-ups on related matters, and the representative referred the university to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. In July, the duo sparred in the media over the merits and legality of targeted recruiting, a practice that allows universities to recruit specific student groups, as reported by The Dallas Express.