Texas A&M tightens rules on talking about race and gender in classes.

Question

Texas A&M tightens discourse about race and gender in classes. They will ban advocacy about sexual orientation that is addressed without approval. A policy was unanimously backed by college regents, possibly perpetuating a stifling of academic discussion and inquiry regarding these subjects.

The idea of academic freedom has been challenged for a while in the southern conservative states, so this policy could be a big turning point in the suppression of free expression of opinions and conversations regarding tough subjects that don't usually get spoken about in the homestead. It also could lead to more academic subjects getting viewed as inappropriate in the future if this is true.

Answer 1

This claim is true. The Texas A&M University System has approved a policy where it restricts the ideas of professors being able to teach about race, sexual orientation, and gender. According to Texas Public Radio, any class that advocates with the topics must be approved from the campus's president. Due to the vague and new rule, a lot of people worry about professors not being able to express themselves and ruin their free speech. This was sourced from NAACP and also a wide variety are viewing this as a way to restrict and narrow the social and identity issues.

Answer 2

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/13/us/texas-am-gender-race-ideology-rules-classroom.html

This article is very recent, published in November of 205, and makes the claim that, “Texas A&M University System regents voted Thursday to limit how instructors may discuss matters like gender identity and race ideology in classrooms, tightening the rules in a conservative state where debates over academic freedom have flared for months.” The vote is a result of accusations from Republican officials that the university’s professors are “‘indoctrinating’ students with liberal ideas” which violates the school’s accepted curriculum standards. The article contains the authors contact information, as well as related NYT article links. 

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/2025/12/18/539204/texas-am-race-gender-courses-new-rules/

As no single source was referenced (aside from other NYT articles), I opted to simply look up the claim, as quoted above. I found a number of sources, both primary and secondary, that supported the claim. This news segment confirms the NYT articles, information, proving the article to be correct from an accredited source. 

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/2025/12/18/539204/texas-am-race-gender-courses-new-rules/

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2025/11/13/texas-am-requires-approval-courses-advocate-certain

This two articles are both secondary sources from what I would assess to be not highly credible sources, but they offer varying perspectives on the issue from a local standpoint, and one from the view of higher education. 

In all, this article is true, and also deeply concerning. 

Answer 3

After doing research, this claim is indeed true. According to Inside Higher Education, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents concluded that any courses or books that taught or advocated for sexual orientation or gender identity/ideology would be subject to presidential approval. The faculty and staff are unsure who is "reviewing" the syllabi as it gets checked before being taught in the classroom. Leonard Bright, one of the professors of public service and government, claimed, "We really don't have a real clear answer as to how these decisions are being made." The American Association of University Professors condemned the decision to censor Plato. They stated, "At a public university, this action raises serious legal concerns, including viewpoint discrimination and violations of constitutionally protected academic freedom."

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/academic-freedom/2026/01/07/plato-censored-texas-am-carries-out-course-review

Secondly, according to Houston Public Media, The System Board of Regents revised the policy in December, banning almost all discussions of gender or race in any core classes unless they are deemed "necessary for educational purposes" by administrative staff.

In result, roughly 200 courses in the College of Arts and Sciences would have to be revised and could be affected due to the new policy.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/education/2026/01/08/540203/texas-am-race-gender-courses/