Texas Tech to drop courses 'centered on' sex, gender studies

LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech university has been given two months to close courses the focus on sex and gender studies, expanding on new policies that redefined how and when those issues can be discussed. 

The recent memo from the new chancellor of the school gives a June 15 deadline to cancel programs and prevent new students from declaring majors in those newly banned subjects. 

Texas Tech bans gender studies

What's new:

Chancellor Brandon Creighton’s memo kicks off a formal review of programs across the system's five campuses, freezes all admissions and removes anything "centered on" Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI).

SOGI content is now prohibited in all core and lower-level courses, with some exceptions for graduate courses. Texts that contain references to such topics don't have to be redacted, the memo says, but professors cannot focus on those portions. Anything historically related to those topics can only be studied objectively, without getting into the ideology of a broader definition of gender. 

Professors that already work for the school can continue to research and publish what they want, the memo says, but future recruiting and hiring will take the new rules into account. 

Texas Tech restricts course content

The backstory:

Creighton, who previously served as the Texas senator for District 4, covering part of the greater Houston area, added major restrictions on what can be taught regarding race and gender-related content late last year. 

Professors were given guidelines on how to handle SOGI topics in class, which were framed as a way to prevent one race or gender from being celebrated and another being torn down. 

The school system now only recognizes two genders — male and female — in accordance with state and federal law. Additionally, faculty are now required to submit course content related to sexual orientation to the board of regents for review before it can be taught. 

Race and gender studies in Texas

Big picture view:

Texas Tech was the second to impose restrictions on race and gender studies, following Texas A&M University's controversy that began in September 2025 when a professor was challenged by a student while teaching about transgender topics in a class about children's literature. 

That controversy culminated in the professor being fired, admins being demoted, the school president stepping down, A&M's own similar rules from being adopted, and numerous courses being canceled. One philosophy professor made headlines when his attempt to teach Plato's writings in relation to gender theory was halted, and he recently resigned from the school, citing "censorship" and the possible decline of public higher education in the state. 

The University of North Texas is in the midst of an investigation by the attorney general as well, following allegations that professors were skirting state and federal law by teaching Diversity, Equity and Inclusion topics without mentioning the exact inflammatory terminology that had been banned.

Why you should care:

Critics of the changes to Texas universities worry that lawmakers deciding what can be taught in college is government overreach. While some tend to agree that it's not the professor's place to advocate for a particular ideology, they maintain that any topic should be up for discussion in higher education, without professors fearing termination or school boards fearing loss of funding.