Texas A&M Student Removed from Lecture for Challenging Professor’s Promotion of Gender Ideology; University President Backs Inclusion of LGBTQ+ Literature in Curriculum

In a fiery Twitter thread posted today, Texas State Representative Brian Harrison accused Texas A&M University of promoting “transgender indoctrination” in a literature class, leading to a student’s expulsion from the course after objecting to the material. Harrison, a former Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the first Trump administration, shared hidden camera footage, audio recordings, course materials, and letters demanding investigations and firings.

The thread, which has garnered over 41,000

views, 1,300 likes, and hundreds of reposts, centers on a whistleblower student’s experience in a “Children’s Literature” course focused on ages 3-12. According to Harrison, the class allegedly forced students to engage with concepts like the “Gender Unicorn,” a graphic illustrating gender identity, expression, and attraction as spectrums. He described this as “extreme transgender ideology” and claimed the professor encouraged discussions on queerness in children’s books, including statements like “Isn’t [talking about queerness] way too ‘adult’ for little kids? Well, no,” and “Childhood is the time for figuring out how to be a boy, girl, man, woman, or another gender.”

Harrison released several pieces of evidence, including:

• Video Footage of the Classroom Incident: A 40-second clip shows a heated exchange between the student and professor. The student expresses discomfort, stating the material “goes against my religion” and questions if it’s “hate speech.” The professor responds, “So um you are very welcome to leave the class,” emphasizing that the student is “trying to pick a fight” and is free to depart if unhappy.

• Audio of Confrontation with University President: In a 14-second audio snippet, the student asks Texas A&M President Mark Welsh to fire the professor for “LGBTQ indoctrinating.” Welsh firmly replies, “Well, that’s not happening,” repeating the denial multiple times.

• Defense of LGBTQ Studies: Another 40-second audio features President Welsh explaining the inclusion of LGBTQ topics in courses. He notes that such studies have existed “for a long time” and serve a “professional reason,” particularly for training future school superintendents and nonprofit leaders who must serve diverse populations. Welsh mentions that in one course, 34-35 out of 37 students were aspiring school administrators.

• Course Materials: Harrison shared screenshots and quotes from assigned readings, including discussions on “queer melancholia theory,” “exploring Dr. Seuss’s racial imagination,” and instructions to “look for a page or an image that you think has something to say about gender roles or same-sex attraction.” He also highlighted a slide stating “sex does not determine gender.”

In response to the incident, Harrison sent letters to key figures. One, addressed to U.S. Secretaries Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Health and Human Services) and Linda McMahon (Education), praises the Trump administration’s stance on recognizing only two sexes and requests an investigation into Texas A&M for potential violations of federal executive orders on DEI and transgender issues. He references his prior referral of the university for discriminatory DEI practices and urges action to ensure compliance among federally funded institutions.

A second letter to Texas Governor Greg Abbott recalls the governor’s January State of the State address, where he vowed to fire educators promoting gender fluidity. Harrison criticizes inaction on a binder of DEI examples he provided in February and demands: (1) the immediate firing of the professor and President Welsh by politically appointed regents, (2) a statewide purge of DEI and LGBTQ-related activities in public universities, and (3) a special legislative session to ban taxpayer-funded “indoctrination” in state agencies.

Harrison, a Texas A&M alumnus , expressed dismay as a taxpayer and parent, stating in the thread: “Texas may be the biggest promoter and funder of DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination in America.” He tagged Texas A&M and Governor Abbott, calling for swift intervention.

The allegations come amid ongoing national debates over DEI programs and gender education in schools, amplified under the second Trump administration’s policies. Texas A&M has not publicly responded to the thread as of this writing, and representatives for Governor Abbott, Secretary Kennedy, and Secretary McMahon did not immediately comment.

Reactions on Twitter have been polarized, with supporters praising Harrison for exposing “indoctrination” and critics accusing him of misrepresenting academic discussions on diversity.