College Station, Texas – A Texas A&M University faculty committee unanimously found that administrators lacked any valid justification for firing English professor Melissa McCoul after a video of her discussing gender identity went viral, concluding the university failed to follow due process and never proved its claims. McCoul was dismissed in September after a student secretly recorded her explaining that more than two genders exist. The clip was posted on X by state Rep. Brian Harrison, who has repeatedly pressured universities to remove instruction he deems inappropriate. A&M did not move to terminate McCoul until the post ignited political backlash.
McCoul appealed her dismissal to the university’s Committee on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Responsibility, which held a full-day hearing on Nov. 3. In its Nov. 18 report, the eight-member panel rejected all three reasons the university gave for firing her — alleged duty failures, policy violations, and unprofessional conduct — and found that administrators never investigated, never documented concerns, and never notified her of potential dismissal as required.
The committee also noted McCoul was never instructed to change her course content, nor did she have the authority to alter the course number, despite an administrator citing that as a strike against her. It further said the university should have investigated the student who disrupted instruction by recording her.
McCoul’s attorney said the firing aligned with political pressure, noting that it occurred shortly after Gov. Greg Abbott publicly demanded action. University officials acknowledged the committee’s non-binding findings, and Interim President Tommy Williams will decide whether to reinstate McCoul. If he declines, McCoul plans to pursue First Amendment and due-process claims in court.
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