Texas Tech System Cancels Programs Focused on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity

Chancellor orders phase-out of academic offerings centered on LGBTQ+ topics, limits research and hiring

Apr. 10, 2026 at 8:38pm

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A fractured, abstract painting in shades of blue, grey, and red, with overlapping geometric shapes and lines conveying a sense of disruption and unrest, conceptually representing the controversy over the Texas Tech policy.The Texas Tech University System's new policy to limit academic programs and research on LGBTQ+ topics has sparked concerns over academic freedom and viewpoint discrimination.Austin Today

The Texas Tech University System's chancellor has ordered campuses to phase out academic programs 'centered on' sexual orientation and gender identity, a dramatically expanded policy that also places limits on what can be researched and which faculty can be hired. The memo gives provosts until June 15 to identify targeted programs and requires the system's five universities to freeze admissions and halt students from declaring majors in the phased out programs.

Why it matters

The chancellor's order raises serious constitutional concerns, as public universities cannot discriminate based on viewpoint. The policy appears to target perspectives involving gender identity and sexual orientation for political reasons, not academic purposes, and could deter teaching about systemic racism, reparations, and the history of enslavement.

The details

The memo says graduate theses and dissertations may center on those topics only as a temporary exception for currently enrolled students, and that future faculty hiring will 'prioritize recruitment in alignment with this memorandum.' It also says faculty must recognize only 'two human sexes' and not teach gender identity as a spectrum or more than two genders as fact. In core and lower-level undergraduate courses, the memo says instructors generally cannot assign materials that are 'centered on' or 'include' sexual orientation or gender identity.

  • On April 10, 2026, Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton issued the memo.
  • Provosts have until June 15, 2026 to identify targeted programs for phase-out.

The players

Brandon Creighton

Chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, who previously served nearly two decades as a Republican state lawmaker and authored major higher education reforms.

Jen Shelton

An associate professor of English who has taught at Texas Tech for 25 years, and said the provost's office had repeatedly assured faculty that their research would not be affected.

Antonio Ingram

A senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, who said the memo appears to target perspectives involving gender identity and sexual orientation for political reasons, not academic purposes, raising serious constitutional concerns.

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What they’re saying

“The good news is I think the whole university has been betrayed. I think even the provost did not expect it to look like this because it's people from the provost's office who have been coming to us and saying, 'Don't worry. This part is all going to be fine.'”

— Jen Shelton, Associate Professor of English

“I think in many ways, this is a doubling down on a political project that is not meant to help students. It is really meant to uphold a political worldview that, you know, Chancellor Creighton couldn't enact legislatively and is now doing through his role as chancellor.”

— Antonio Ingram, Senior Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund

What’s next

The Texas Tech University System's Board of Regents is expected to take up the issue publicly at their February 26 meeting.

The takeaway

The chancellor's order raises serious concerns about academic freedom and the ability of public universities to provide a diverse and inclusive education. It appears to be a politically-motivated attempt to limit the teaching and research of LGBTQ+ topics, which could have far-reaching consequences for students and faculty.