In a move that screams “please don’t make us go viral like A&M,” Texas Tech University quietly told its medical professors to stop saying scary words like “transgender,” “DEI,” and “affirmative action.” The directive supposedly keeps the school “compliant” with an executive order, a governor’s letter, and a law that (get this) don’t actually forbid teaching those topics. So now nobody knows what’s allowed, and everyone’s pretending not to notice the hypocrisy thick enough to block out the West Texas sun.
Professors were left wondering how to teach health care for real humans when they can’t mention words that describe, well, real humans. Some tried to hold off lessons entirely, while others went with the classic Lubbock survival strategy: say nothing and hope the storm passes. A few brave souls even asked the administration whether teaching about Greek eunuchs was still legal. (No answer yet, but probably only if they wore togas “assigned at birth.”)
When the faculty Q&A page mysteriously vanished from the university website, administrators said it was being “updated.” Translation: somebody in the system realized they accidentally implied professors could still think for themselves. Now, the official policy seems to be “teach what you want, as long as it doesn’t upset a lawmaker’s Facebook followers.”
Meanwhile, Tech’s own professors are left balancing a tightrope between academic accuracy and political obedience — a real-life experiment in Schrödinger’s tenure.
So… do they hand out diplomas now, or just certificates of compliance?
https://www.texastribune.org/2025/10/07/texas-tech-university-system-faculty-gender-identity/
