New Rules on Gender Talk at a Texas University System

In late September 2025, the Texas Tech University System issued guidance that restricts classroom discussion of transgender and nonbinary identities, directing faculty to align teaching with a federal executive order that recognizes only two sexes. The federal order, signed in January, defines sex as male or female and directs agencies to use the term sex in official policies.

At Angelo State University, which is part of the system, faculty have been told to remove transgender and nonbinary material from syllabi and to stop using pronouns in email signatures, while campus leaders have not provided a clear written policy. This verbal approach has left professors asking for legal guidance and for formal rules that explain how the system will be enforced.

Civil rights organizations and academic groups have warned that the restrictions may undermine academic freedom and could chill classroom discussion. Consequently, some states and advocacy groups are pursuing legal challenges to related federal directives, and litigation is already underway over the administration's requirements for sex education funding.

University leaders say they must comply with federal and state requirements, but if legal rulings change, campus policies may be revised. Nevertheless, many faculty members have said they will seek clearer written guidance before altering course content, and observers note that the balance between compliance and academic inquiry will shape campus debates in the months ahead. Moreover, students and instructors have started discussing what classroom freedom should look like when legal definitions of sex and gender are contested. Public debate will continue as courts and campuses respond.