Texas A&M president to resign following LGBTQ course controversy

For over a week and a half, Texas A&M's president has been under fire for his now-viral behavior — caught on video — talking to a student who objected to the gender ideology taught in a children's literature class. Now, the president is facing the music.

Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III will step down on Friday following a deepening controversy involving former gender studies senior lecturer Melissa McCoul. McCoul was using course materials including the Trans Student Educational Resources "Gender Unicorn," a visual graphic suggesting that gender identity and gender expression are distinct from sex and that there are other sexes besides male, female, and intersex.

'His ambivalence on the issue and his dismissal of the student’s concerns by immediately taking the side of the professor is unacceptable.'

After a whistleblower shared objectionable course materials and video of her exchange with McCoul and with Welsh, she demanded to the president's face that the lecturer be fired. Texas state Rep. Brian Harrison (R) amplified the issue on social media after he became aware of what the student was fighting against.

"It took tremendous courage for a relatively young lady to stand up to an authority figure alone as a sole voice in that class — to somebody who had the potential to fail her, to harm her professionally," Harrison told Blaze News. "And she had the courage not just to stand up to the professor but to take her concerns all the way to the president of the university and to have the foresight to record him."

RELATED: 'Fish rots from the head': Student claims some scalps after exposing trans propaganda at Texas A&M — but the fight's not over

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Although McCoul was fired on September 9, a day after Harrison shared the incident on X, many have insisted that there was a deeper rot that needed to be removed, starting with Welsh.

"His ambivalence on the issue and his dismissal of the student’s concerns by immediately taking the side of the professor is unacceptable," Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick (R) said on X. "Most parents, students, and Aggie alumni expect Texas A&M to reflect the values of our state and our nation as well as A&M’s rich history. If President Welsh will not or cannot reflect those values, then change needs to happen."

Rep. Harrison celebrated Welsh's resignation in a Thursday evening X post: "WE DID IT! TEXAS A&M PRESIDENT IS OUT!! Another MASSIVE victory for the LIBERTY BOTS against the Austin Swamp Rats! As the first elected official to call for him to be fired, this news is welcome, although overdue."

With an eye to the future, Harrison added, "Now ... END ALL DEI AND LGBTQ INDOCTRINATION IN TEXAS!!"

Blaze News was referred to the Texas A&M President's Office website following a request for comment. In a statement published on Friday morning, Welsh said, "When I was first appointed as president of Texas A&M University, I told then-Chancellor John Sharp and our Board of Regents that I would serve as well as I possibly could until it was time for someone else to take over. Over the past few days, it’s become clear that now is that time."

Board Chair Robert Albritton said regents will appoint an interim president and initiate a national search for a permanent president "in the coming days," according to WFAA.

Editor's note: This article has been edited after publication to include a statement from former Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III.

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