McCarthyism’s shadow looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity

How a purple gender unicorn summoned the ghost of Joe McCarthy

By Laura Gail Miller, Ed.D. Candidate in Educational Organizational Learning and Leadership, Seattle University. Texas A&M University announced the resignation of its president, Mark A. Welsh III, on Sept. 18, 2025, following a controversial decision earlier in the month to fire a professor over a classroom exchange with a student about gender identity.The university — a public school in College Station, Texas — fired Melissa McCoul, a children’…

McCarthyism’s shadow looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity

A Texas A&M free speech case raises questions about academic freedom that have featured before in American society and courts, including during the 1950s. Westend61Texas A&M University announced the resignation of its president, Mark A. Welsh III, on Sept. 18, 2025, following a controversial decision earlier in the month to fire a professor over a classroom exchange with a student about gender identity. The university – a public school in Colleg…

McCarthyism’s shadow looms over controversial firing of Texas professor who taught about gender identity

by Laura Gail Miller, Seattle University, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Texas A&M University announced the resignation of its president, Mark A. Welsh III, on Sept. 18, 2025, following a controversial decision earlier in the month to fire a professor over a classroom exchange with a student about gender identity. The university – a public school in College Station, Texas – fired Melissa McCoul, a …