(NewsNation) — The topic of gender identity has come under scrutiny in classrooms and school board meetings across the country, raising concerns about academic freedom in the United States.
A video filmed at Texas A&M went viral in September, featuring a student arguing with a professor during a children’s literature class over whether it was legal to talk about gender identity in the classroom. The student said discussing transgender topics violated her religious beliefs and federal policy that recognizes only two sexes.
The video led to the professor’s firing and the resignation of the university’s president. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott weighed in on the debate, sending out a letter that pointed to President Donald Trump’s executive order and a new state law that defines sex strictly as male or female.
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Since then, a ripple effect has spread throughout the Lone Star state. At least four public universities — including Texas Tech, the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University and the University of Texas — have ordered faculty to ensure their coursework complies with the state and federal levels. The universities have stressed that the reviews are about compliance but haven’t said what, if any, changes will be made once those reviews are complete.
In response, LGBTQ+ advocates have argued a dangerous precedent is being set. The Texas Tribune reported that no state law explicitly prohibits teaching topics such as gender identity or the existence of more than two sexes.
“They are endangering academic freedom. They are weakening our institution’s credibility and they’re depriving students of the full education that they deserve,” Ash Lazarus Orr, a transgender activist, said. “So, if we really want universities that are preparing students for the real world, that means protecting the truth, the scholarship and inclusivity over politics.”
In August, Abbott signed a bill barring transgender people from using multiple-occupancy bathrooms and changing rooms that align with their identity in schools and government-owned buildings. The bill goes into effect Dec. 4.
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From access to restrooms to classroom curriculum, debates around gender identity are playing out in states across the country. A California school board meeting took an unusual turn when a woman removed her clothes in protest. The woman, a member of the conservative group Moms for Liberty, stripped down to a bikini to protest the district’s policies on transgender students and locker rooms.
The Davis Unified School District allows transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. The woman, who has a transgender child, said she wanted to give the board an idea of how uncomfortable that policy can be for bystanders.
For now, other states, such as Florida and Utah, are closely watching Texas to see how those reviews unfold and what actions are taken in response.
