Angelo State University in Texas has directed its faculty to cease all classroom discussions related to transgender and nonbinary identities, according to professors and internal university communications. The directive, which has not been issued as a formal written policy, was communicated verbally through deans and department chairs, creating significant confusion and raising concerns about academic freedom.
Key Takeaways
- Angelo State University faculty have been instructed to stop teaching or discussing transgender and nonbinary identities.
- The directive was delivered verbally through administrative channels, and no official written policy has been provided to staff.
- The university cites a former presidential executive order, a governor's directive, and a state law as its justification.
- Academic freedom and civil rights organizations argue the university is misinterpreting the law and violating First Amendment rights.
Verbal Directives Create Campus Confusion
The new restrictions at Angelo State University (ASU), a part of the Texas Tech University System, originated from a meeting between President Ronnie D. Hawkins and senior academic leaders. Following this meeting, deans and department chairs were tasked with relaying the instructions to their faculty members either in person or via email.
Linda Kornasky, an English professor who established the university's gender studies minor, confirmed this chain of communication. Several other faculty members, speaking anonymously for fear of professional reprisal, also described a disorganized rollout that has left many uncertain about the policy's exact scope and enforcement.
The lack of a formal document has been a primary source of anxiety. In a recorded meeting for the College of Arts and Humanities, one faculty member expressed this frustration, stating, "They're asking us to do it now, and they're not giving us any tools to do it... we're the ones who's going to be fired."
A Precedent at Texas A&M
ASU's decision follows a recent, highly publicized incident at Texas A&M University. There, a professor was terminated following conservative backlash over a classroom discussion on gender identity. An ASU department chair explicitly mentioned in an email that the new rules were implemented quickly "out of fear of a similar incident to what happened at Texas A&M occurring here."
Specifics of the Classroom Ban
Internal communications have clarified some aspects of the ban while leaving others ambiguous. Jason Pierce, the chair of ASU's history department, sent emails to his faculty that outlined the new rules. In these messages, he confirmed that discussing homosexuality or bisexuality remains acceptable, but any discussion of transgender identity is now "forbidden."
Pierce's instructions also included directives to remove any mention of transgender identity from course descriptions and to omit textbook chapters covering the subject. While Pierce did not share the emails directly, he confirmed their contents.
Clarifications and Lingering Questions
After initial confusion, a subsequent update clarified some points. Pierce informed faculty that they could still use a student's preferred name and display Pride flags in their personal office spaces. His updated email reiterated the core restriction: "It is only transgender that is forbidden."
This distinction has caused further concern among educators. Gender identity is separate from sexual orientation. The targeted nature of the ban has led professors to question its academic and legal basis, as well as its impact on students.
"We have students who have grown up at a time when the major medical associations in our country... have come out to support the medical treatment of transgender identity," Professor Kornasky noted. "It's unfair to them... it’s very traumatic for them.”
University Demographics
Angelo State University, located in San Angelo, serves a student body of over 12,000 students and employs more than 400 faculty members who are now navigating these new unwritten rules.
University Cites Legal Directives
In a statement, ASU spokesperson Brittney Miller did not confirm the specifics of the directive but said the university is complying with existing orders and laws. The university cited three sources for its policy change:
- A Trump administration executive order defining gender as male or female assigned at birth.
- A letter from Texas Governor Greg Abbott directing state agencies to reject "woke gender ideologies."
- Texas House Bill 229, a state law requiring a binary definition of gender for collecting vital statistics.
Miller stated, "As such, Angelo State University fully complies with the letter of the law.”
Legal Justification Challenged by Advocates
Civil rights and academic freedom advocates have strongly contested the university's legal reasoning. Groups including the ACLU of Texas, Equality Texas, and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) have pointed out that the executive order and the governor's letter do not carry the force of law.
Furthermore, they argue that HB 229 pertains to the collection of state data and makes no mention of restricting academic discussions in higher education. Johnathan Gooch of Equality Texas called the university's action "completely a misuse of the law."
"It’s such a blatant violation of First Amendment and academic freedom rights," said Brian Evans, president of the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors. "There was no process. This just happened out of nowhere.”
Impact on Academic Freedom and Student Life
The ban has created a chilling effect on campus, with professors worried about the implications for a wide range of academic subjects. Kornasky questioned whether historical topics, such as the use of male actors for female roles in Shakespearean plays, could now be considered off-limits.
"Since we were told to err on the side of caution, there is clearly a kind of stifling of speech," she said. "A kind of veiled threat that, if we at all address actual current events, or current scholarship, that somehow we're doing something illegal.”
Student advocates also voiced concern. Hayden Cohen, a nonbinary college student and policy director for Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, said the rules effectively "erase" the identity of transgender students and could foster a hostile campus environment.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression has formally requested that President Hawkins reverse the policy. "If ASU is truly moving forward with this restrictive policy, it must reverse course immediately,” said FIRE program counsel Ross Marchand.
As faculty await a formal written policy, the future of open academic inquiry at Angelo State University remains uncertain. An educator at a campus meeting summarized the anxiety felt by many: "You are knee-capping not only academics, but also our students... who need to be aware of the conversations in your field.”
