Texas A&M President To Resign After Leftist Politics Infiltrated University Children’s Lit Course

Texas A&M President Mark Welsh is set to step down on Friday after a wave of criticism over his handling of a controversy that erupted after an English professor was filmed pushing pro-LGBT talking points during a children’s literature course and telling a student who opposed her to leave a lecture.

Welsh, a retired four-star U.S. Air Force General who was appointed by former President Barack Obama to be Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force from 2012 to 2016, fired Dr. Melissa McCoul last week, but his actions were not enough to quell some of the outrage over Texas A&M’s handling of the situation. The university’s Board of Regents announced on Thursday that Welsh would resign, The New York Times reported.

“President Welsh is a man of honor who has led Texas A&M with selfless dedication,” the university system’s chancellor, Glenn Hegar, said in a statement, adding, “At the same time, we agree that now is the right moment to make a change and to position Texas A&M for continued excellence in the years ahead.”

Videos obtained and shared by Republican Texas State Rep. Brian Harrison and first reported by The Daily Wire on September 8 showed McCoul advocating for leftist views on sex and gender during a lecture over the summer. Slides from the course reviewed by The Daily Wire also showed that the class devoted considerable attention to sex, gender, and “queerness.”

One student confronted the professor over the leftist ideology, pointing to the Trump administration’s recent actions to crack down on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the government and public universities. McCoul argued that her teachings on gender identity and gender expression were “biologically true,” adding that she did not believe that the student would be able to stop her from teaching those ideas.

“Because I do have the legal and ethical authority [and] professional expertise in this classroom. It’s time for you to leave,” McCoul told the student in a video that Harrison posted on X.

🚨CAUGHT ON TAPE: TEXAS A&M STUDENT KICKED OUT OF CLASS AFTER OBJECTING TO TRANSGENDER INDOCTRINATION… and A&M President defends “LGBTQ Studies.”

I’m referring @TAMU to the Trump Administration for investigation… and asking Gov @GregAbbott_TX to fire the A&M officials… pic.twitter.com/J6IWsfw62I

— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) September 8, 2025

After the student complained about the LGBT themes in the children’s literature course, Welsh acknowledged that the class content “did not align with any reasonable expectation of standard curriculum for the course.” Welsh’s action to change the course content and fire McCoul, however, only came after an intense public pressure campaign, which was led by Harrison. In a phone call with the student after the complaint had been raised, the Texas A&M president said that the student was trying to “pick a fight” and defended teaching LGBT content in other courses as long as it was properly shown on course syllabi.

Welsh’s move to fire McCoul wasn’t enough for some people, while the decision enraged others.

“This is about trying to tell faculty members not to teach certain topics,” said Leonard Bright, a professor of public service and administration at Texas A&M, according to the Times. “The rules are clear — we are the experts in our classes, and we get to design our courses.”

After McCoul was fired, Harrison told The Daily Wire, “President Welsh is engaged in a cover up and deserves no credit.”

“He spent the past month protecting this professor, berating the student, dismissing concerns that her constitutional rights were violated when she was kicked out of class, attempting to gaslight the student into believing she was the problem, advocating for even more DEI and LGBTQ courses at A&M, and has been engaged in behavior since his actions were exposed,” Harrison added. “He should be fired.”

The Republican state lawmaker celebrated in a post on Thursday after it was reported that Welsh was stepping down.

“WE DID IT! TEXAS A&M PRESIDENT IS OUT!!” Harrison posted on X. “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. Now… END ALL DEI AND LGBTQ INDOCTRINATION IN TEXAS!!”

Texas A&M will appoint an interim president as it conducts a national search for a new leader, according to the Board of Regents.