Overview

• Chancellor Tedd Mitchell directed the system’s five universities to recognize only two sexes in instruction and to align teaching with directives from President Donald Trump, Gov. Greg Abbott’s letter, and a new state law on vital statistics.
• The letter makes Texas Tech the first university system in the state to formally restrict classroom discussion of transgender and nonbinary identities, according to the Texas Tribune.
• Presidents were told to review syllabi, curricula, and course materials for timely adjustments, though the memo does not specify what content is permitted or prohibited.
• ACLU Texas and the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression argue the cited measures do not bar teaching about transgender identity and warn the guidance threatens academic freedom.
• Local reporting around Angelo State describes stricter practices such as use of legal names, removal of pronouns and LGBTQ+ signage, and the removal of transgender content from courses, even though no Texas law expressly bans such college classroom discussions.