Tech students host virtual teach-in, speak out against classroom censorship of gender
By Arthur K. | CATALYST
November 20, 2025
While some Texas Tech students are worried about their ability to throw stale tortillas on Cody Shambell Field, others are more concerned about classroom censorship.
A coalition of students, led by the Tech Democrats for Texas, Defend Democracy Lubbock, and the Tech Gender Sexuality Association, will host a virtual teach-in this evening in protest of new Texas Tech University System policy restricting the discussion of gender in classrooms and calling on professors to modify course curriculum.
The controversial move, outlined in a letter sent by former Chancellor Tedd Mitchell on Sept. 25, made the TTU System the first in Texas to issue such restrictions.2/
Mitchell’s memo directed university officials and faculty to comply with a presidential executive order recognizing only male and female sexes, a letter from Gov. Greg Abbott directing state agencies to “reject woke gender ideologies,” and a new state law that requires a strict binary definition of gender for the collection of vital statistics.
Tara Findley, one of the event organizers and a student at Texas Tech, said, “Universities are places to explore diverse ideas freely.” 3/
“If we do not take action here, it opens the door for further partisan citizenship.”
A statement by the student coalition noted, as groups such as ACLU Texas have previously said, none of the measures cited by Mitchell explicitly prohibit discussion of transgender identity. They also warned about the effect this policy might have on safety and quality of education for both students and faculty. 4/
The teach-in will be held today via Zoom at 6 p.m. Participants have been asked to register in advance for the event.
In other news, the TTU System also plans to be the first in Texas to offer a Bachelor’s of Science in Bootlicking Studies; Texas Tech’s new B.S. in B.S. program is expected to launch in the fall of 2026. 5/5
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