(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)<\/p>\n
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\n Henry F. Fradella<\/a>, Arizona State University<\/a>\n<\/p>\n (THE CONVERSATION) Texas Tech University, a public university in Lubbock, announced in April 2026 that its five schools would phase out all academic credentials centered on sexual orientation or gender identity. The new policy, detailed in a six-page memo<\/a> on April 9, also requires instructors to use \u201calternate materials\u201d when courses address these topics.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas Tech, led by former Texas Republican state legislator Brandon Creighton<\/a>, is not the first university to try to restrict instruction on gender, sexual orientation and other topics in recent years.<\/p>\n In 2023, for example, Florida passed legislation<\/a> that banned students at public universities from majoring in critical race theory, gender studies, queer theory and intersectionality<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas Tech, however, goes further with this new memo. It also bars graduate students from writing \u201cdegree-culminating\u201d theses or dissertations on sexual orientation or gender identity, something no other major public university<\/a> system appears to have done.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n As a scholar who studies the intersection of law, science and public policy<\/a>, I doubt the policy would survive a possible constitutional challenge in court, given First Amendment<\/a> freedom of speech protections. Even if courts ultimately strike the policy down, though, it may still leave a lasting mark, by signaling that some universities are willing to prioritize politics over independent academic inquiry.<\/p>\n \n Texas Tech\u2019s policy shift\n<\/p>\n Texas Tech\u2019s policy, which will begin taking effect in June 2026, requires faculty to teach in compliance with a 2025 Texas law<\/a> that declares there are \u201conly two human sexes<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The law echoes the language of an executive order<\/a> the Trump administration issued in January 2025 that said \u201cIt is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Texas Tech faculty will soon be largely prohibited from teaching about gender fluidity or gender as a spectrum. There are narrow exceptions to this rule, such as discussions about intersex traits<\/a>, so long as instructors do not \u201cadvocate for or validate sociological frameworks.\u201d<\/p>\n Although current faculty may continue researching \u201ctopics of their choosing,\u201d new faculty will be hired \u201cin alignment\u201d with the memo.<\/p>\n Students, meanwhile, can continue to conduct \u201cgeneral independent student research,\u201d and write standard term papers, for example, on one of these subjects. But students cannot write graduate theses or dissertations on sexual orientation and gender identity.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n By legal standards, these new policies are not neutral, curricular decisions. This is because the state of Texas favors one viewpoint \u2013 that there are only two biological sexes \u2013 that this public university system now reflects.<\/p>\n For nearly 60 years, the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected<\/a> the idea of viewpoint discrimination at universities<\/a>. This discrimination occurs when the government or another authority<\/a> allows speech favoring one opinion, while restricting speech expressing an opposing opinion.<\/p>\n The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which oversees the region where Texas Tech is located, has also long recognized that \u201cclassroom discussion is protected activity<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement to the Associated Press in April, Creighton said that the school is \u201cfocused on ensuring our academic programs are rigorous, relevant, and produce degrees of value.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n He added that this focus \u201cis matched by our unwavering support for the First Amendment and the open exchange of ideas that define a public university. Texas Tech will continue to be a national leader on both fronts.\u201d<\/p>\n The Texas Tech policy is the latest example of a broader political effort to reshape what public universities may teach and research.<\/p>\n Several other public universities have also recently limited programs or coursework involving gender and identity studies.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In 2022, Florida\u2019s \u201cStop WOKE\u201d Act<\/a>, restricted instruction<\/a> perceived as endorsing certain<\/a> race-related concepts in classrooms and workplace training sessions. Some faculty members left Florida public universities, citing concerns about censorship<\/a> and political interference<\/a> in higher education<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2022, federal judge Mark Walker called that Florida law \u201cpositively dystopian<\/a>\u201d and barred its enforcement<\/a>, holding that the state cannot grant academic freedom only to viewpoints it favors. The restrictions remain blocked, pending appeal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Texas A&M English professor Melissa McCoul sued that university after she was fired in September 2025, following a classroom discussion she led about gender identity.<\/p>\n Texas A&M later eliminated its women\u2019s and gender studies degree program<\/a> in January 2026.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The University of Texas at Austin consolidated four<\/a> These changes reflect a broader political climate in which some politicians and university leaders increasingly frame gender identity and other academic subjects as ideological positions, rather than scholarly areas of research<\/a>. That trend has intensified alongside the Trump administration\u2019s executive orders, actions and rhetoric<\/a> surrounding gender identity<\/a> and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n Limiting academic research\n<\/p>\n Texas Tech was established in 1923 to prepare students for technical and agricultural professions, and \u201celevate the ideals, enrich the lives, and increase the capacity of the people for democratic self-government<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n That mission reflects the American Association of University Professors\u2019 1940 Statement of Principles on Academic Freedom and Tenure<\/a>. The statement describes universities as dedicated to \u201cthe common good\u201d through the \u201cfree search for truth.\u201d<\/p>\n Universities are therefore expected to pursue scholarly inquiry according to disciplinary standards and academic expertise<\/a>, not partisan priorities. That commitment is reflected in the thesis and dissertation process, through which faculty evaluate students\u2019 ability to conduct independent research and contribute to disciplinary knowledge<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although disfavored on some Texas and Florida campuses, topics such as HIV disparities in LGBTQ+ populations continue to be studied elsewhere<\/a> as public-health subjects. The same is true for suicide risk<\/a> and family rejection among LGBTQ+ adolescents and services for transgender youth.<\/p>\n With such lines of inquiry curtailed, some Texas Tech students now question whether the university can still provide an \u201chonest education.\u201d Some Texas Tech faculty members are openly discussing looking for other jobs<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \n Restricting academic independence\n<\/p>\n
\n ethnic studies departments<\/a> and the Women\u2019s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department into a single Department of Social and Cultural Analysis<\/a> in February 2026. The university is also reviewing which majors, minors and courses within that new department students may pursue and enroll in.<\/p>\n