Texas Tech University System has implemented a bold new policy requiring professors to teach that only two sexes exist—male and female. The systemwide directive, issued September 25 by Chancellor Tedd Mitchell, mandates that faculty instruction must align with biological realities and comply with state and federal law.
Mitchell’s memo states that faculty, acting as state employees, must “recognize only two sexes (male and female) in their official duties, including teaching.” This includes all institutions under the Texas Tech umbrella—Texas Tech University, Angelo State University, Midwestern State University, and affiliated health sciences centers. While private speech remains protected under the First Amendment, faculty are expected to comply with the policy in professional settings.
The directive cites “various state and federal laws, executive orders, and legal guidance” as justification. Though not naming them specifically, the policy aligns with the broader legal framework set by Governor Greg Abbott in Texas and reinforced under President Trump’s administration, which emphasized biological sex over self-identified gender in education and public policy.
Critics immediately attacked the policy. Equality Texas claimed it would erase transgender and intersex students and create a hostile academic environment. Others called it an assault on academic freedom. However, supporters argue the measure restores factual, science-based instruction and protects students from radical gender ideology infiltrating the classroom.
This move follows the recent firing of a Texas Tech English lecturer after she included lessons on gender fluidity. A student complaint prompted an internal review, ultimately resulting in her dismissal. That case underscored growing tensions between gender activism and institutional accountability.
Texas Tech’s policy now stands as one of the clearest rejections of gender theory by a major university system.
