This article has been updated since publication.
Transgender ideology is being pushed at Texas A&M.
Events and professors are actively promoting LGBT-ism on campus, men are allowed to identify as women in sports clubs, and unsafe transgender services have been provided by University Health Services. Additionally, a radical student organization Texas A&M has given monies to is assisting in pushing transgenderism.
This condition mimics what was found in the university’s classes and administration. Money may be flowing and enrollment may be healthy, but as has been covered during Texas Scorecard’s ongoing investigation of the state’s institutions of higher learning, Texas A&M is a fallen star from its former heights of acclaimed prestige.
This has all happened under the watchful eye of the Texas A&M Board of Regents, who are the ones with power and authority over the state university.
In part one of this series, Texas Scorecard found classes pushing woke ideology being offered by Texas A&M. We also found proof that a number of these classes have been funded by state taxpayers, raising questions as to whether or not the rest are as well. This investigation also found multiple professors loyal to radical ideology.
Combined with the findings of this article, it is clear that the Texas A&M Board of Regents have allowed matters to go seriously wrong at the university.
Pushing Trans
In the current culture wars, women are finding themselves having to compete against biological men claiming to be women. Riley Gaines of the University of Kentucky had to face this invasion of women’s sports in the name of equity. She is a competitive swimmer who tied with a biological male who claimed to be a woman, with the name “Lia Thomas.”
“I was standing right next to the girl who placed 17th, which means she didn’t make it to the final or get to be All-American, when Lia touched the wall. She just looked at me and had tears in her eyes and she told me, ‘I just got beat by someone who probably didn’t have to try this morning,’” Gaines said. For her, this is not about hating a fellow human being, but protecting the right of biological women to compete against each other on a level playing field, rather than have the balance tipped against them by biological men pretending to be women. It is about the integrity of the sport.
Left to Right: Riley Gaines, “Lia Thomas”
“Seeing a biological male win a national title in a female sport, that’s an opportunity that so many people could take advantage of unless action is taken,” Gaines said. “You need to protect the integrity of sports, whether it be male or female.”
Texas A&M (TAMU) rules for sports clubs, downloaded in October 2023, stated that members be allowed to identify themselves however they wish, without regard to their sex when born.
“Individuals who identify as a woman are eligible to play on a women’s (and co-rec) teams; Individuals who identify as a man are eligible to play on men’s and (co-rec) teams,” these rules state. “Transgender participants are eligible to play based on their expressed gender identity so long as they comply with all player eligibility. It is recommended that clubs make sure they are in compliance with each National Governing Body for eligibility.”
Texas Scorecard asked the TAMU Board of Regents, and TAMU spokesperson Kelly Brown about this document. “A review of 2023-24 Texas A&M Sports Guidebook reaffirms that participation in intercollegiate club teams is contingent upon biological sex, as stipulated in Senate Bill 15, a requirement to which Texas A&M adheres,” she replied, adding that the document we referenced appeared to be “outdated.”
But there is more. A student group has encouraged students seeking “hormone replacement therapy” (HRT) to go to Texas A&M’s Health Services Center.
A presentation from Transcend, a Texas A&M student organization, tells students if they wish to undergo HRT, they may go to the Texas A&M Student Health Services at the Beutel Health Center.
This health clinic is currently under the banner of Texas A&M University Health Services (UHS). On December 22, 2023, Texas Scorecard sent an open records request to the university, seeking the following since January 1, 2019:
- The number of hormone replacement therapies provided year to year.
- The number of transgender care and gender affirming care services, and the type of transgender/gender affirming care provided year to year.
On January 30, 2024, Texas A&M provided the following data. In 2019, University Health Services (UHS) provided 26 HRT prescriptions, but in 2023 that shot up to 127. In 2020, UHS provided 60; in 2021, 52; and in 2022 UHS provided 85 HRT prescriptions. Texas A&M’s data emphasizes these are the number of prescriptions, “not the number of individuals” who were given prescriptions.
While noting that UHS “does not perform surgeries of any kind,” they reported that in 2019 UHS had 56 appointments for “transgender care and gender affirming care services.” As above, this exploded to 129 in 2023. In 2020, UHS had 40 such appointments; in 2021, it was 48; and in 2022, it was 103. Again, Texas A&M’s data emphasizes that these are “the number of appointments, not the number of individuals seeking care.”
Texas Scorecard asked Texas A&M if these HRT prescriptions and “gender affirming care” services were covered by the university, or was the university asking for students’ insurance. “Students pay just like they would at a regular doctor visit, so TAMU is not paying for their healthcare,” replied university spokeswoman Kelly S. Brown.
Texas Scorecard asked the Texas A&M Board of Regents if these services are still being offered, and to define “transgender care and gender affirming care services.” Brown provided the following response:
University Health Services treats adults requesting such therapy. Treatment plans are collaboratively developed between the patient and their healthcare provider. No gender-affirming surgeries are performed at UHS. In fact, UHS does not perform any surgeries that require general anesthesia. They perform minor surgeries within the scope of primary care such as skin biopsies for suspicious lesions, incision and drainage of abscesses and ingrown toenail removals. Services at UHS include primary care, mental health, specialty care, physical therapy, preventive medicine and a nurse triage clinic. Students pay for treatments and visits to University Health Services — no tax dollars are used for the office visit, lab work or prescriptions. Of the 48,192 office visit services in 2023, University Health Services reported that 44 students — all consenting adults — paid for gender affirming care treatment at UHS. Those 44 students went to a total of 129 appointments.
Brown added that in 2022 it was 33 patients that went to 103 appointments, 22 students to 48 appointments in 2021, 25 students to 40 appointments in 2020 and 15 students to 56 appointments in 2019.
After having looked over the records we obtained, and Brown’s response, State Rep. Brian Harrison (R–Midlothian) is going to continue looking at Texas A&M. “It would be outrageous for any public university to use state resources of any kind to pay for sex change therapies,” he told Texas Scorecard. “I authored the ‘Pay For Your Own Sex Change Act’ last session because no Texan should be forced to pay for their neighbor’s sex change. It’s indefensible House leadership killed it. If you want a sex change, pay for it with your own damn money. I’m already demanding answers from A&M about their undergraduate minor in LGBTQ studies, and I’ll look into this as well.”
That wasn’t all.
A search of the UHS website found that teaching on transgender ideology was among the intern seminars offered there. “We will view and discuss part of the series Transgeneration. We will explore current events and their implications for the trans community on and off campus. We will consider details associated with transition process (e.g., hormone therapy, legal name change, preferred gender pronouns) and our role in connecting students to resources,” University Health Services’ website states. As part of this training, participants will:
1. Explore intern’s understanding and experience of working with trans
2. Discuss cases that involve gender identity and differential diagnoses
3. Unique ways to explore gender identity with client
4. Implications of sexuality
Furthermore, Texas A&M’s current Assistant Dean of the School of Nursing at their Round Rock Campus is pro-trans ideology. His name is Matt Hoffman. According to his resume, from 2019 to 2023 he had his own practice in Bryan, Texas where he offered hormone manipulation services. His resume also states, as of September 2023, he is the Advanced Practice Provider; Transgender Services for TAMU Health Services.
Matt Hoffman
In their presentation, Transcend encouraged those who “choose to start or continue HRT as a non-student” to see Hoffman. The presentation also promotes Dr. Dean Blevins of Texas Endocrinology in College Station, but encourages avoidance of Dr. Doug Crumpler of Brazos Valley Endocrinology.
Data provided by Texas A&M reports that in 2023, University Health Services recorded one referral to Hoffman.
In 2021, Hoffman did a presentation at the Texas A&M University Libraries titled “The 87th Texas Legislative Session and its Impact on Healthcare for Transgender Residents.” On February 16, 2022, Hoffman appeared on a podcast discussing “transitioning.” It was broadcast on the YouTube channel for the Texas A&M LGBTQ+ Pride Center. On February 10, 2021, Hoffman joined the channel to discuss “Trans Healthcare.”
This channel has content from as far back as 2020. Its last video was published in February 2022. It was widely reported that after state lawmaker’s ban on DEI being signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, the Pride Center would be “rebranded” into the Student Life Center.
However, Texas A&M is still pushing this ideology. University Health Services offers LGBTQ+ Group Counseling services. From 1:30 to 3:00 pm on Tuesdays, the UHS website states that “This group provides an affirming space for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students to explore issues of concern. Topics often discussed include identity development, coming out to family and friends, relationships and dating, gender transitioning, social stigma, religion, and queer life in College Station.”
This push is also found in the arts at Texas A&M. From late March to early April 2023, a musical artist from Tempe, Arizona, by the name of Zoe Nowak, came to campus. Nowak claims to be a “transgender woman.”
Nowak spoke at a meeting of the aforementioned student organization Transcend, came for a discussion and interview at the Media Gaming lab, and “visited multiple classes such as a graduate communication course about gender and identity, as well as music courses.” KANM, Texas A&M’s student radio station, also featured Nowak‘s music.
An article published on the Texas A&M School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts website stated that “Nowak’s weeklong appearance at the school, titled ‘Bridging Sound, Movement and Visuals as a Transgender Artist,’ was made possible by an interdisciplinary grant.” The article also noted that students from the school joined in two of Nowak’s performances on campus, as did two Texas A&M associate professors: Ben Howard danced while Rayna Dexter created the dancers’ costumes.
Howard is no longer with Texas A&M, but Dexter is. A review of her finds she too has ideologies that do not fit the purported values of Texas A&M. She is an instructional assistant professor who has previously presented at the 2018 TAMU Race, Identity, and Social Equity (RISE) conference, and has taken professional development about “developing an antiracist pedagogy.” She participated in the Aggie Allies Advance Training Workshop by the GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender) Resource Center in 2010, 2011, and 2016. In April 2017, Dexter gave a presentation at the Wakonse South Conference on University and College Teaching. Her presentation was titled “Rehearsal for the Revolution: Teaching with the Methods of Augusto Boal and Theatre of the Oppressed.”
The website ImaginAction describes Boal’s work “Theatre of the Oppressed (TO)” as “uses theatre as a tool for transformation,” and that it is used worldwide “for social and political activism, conflict resolution, community building, therapy, and government legislation.”
Left to Right: Dr. Will Connor, Rayna Dexter, Zoe Nowak
Dexter and Howard were joined by Dr. Will Connor, a lecturer at Texas A&M’s School of Performance, Visualization & Fine Arts, in praising Nowak’s time at the university. “Without the support of people like Joey [Joseph Lopez] and all of the fantastic students who are part of his media lab, the student radio station, several student groups and local community members, especially Transcend … my fellow teachers and staff at the School of Performance, Visualization, and Fine Arts, and general public, especially the local LGBTQ+ community, the performances and Zoe’s visit as a whole would not have been possible, let alone such an outstanding success.”
Lopez, a self-identified “degenerate,” was discussed in part one of this series. He is the Director of the Media & Gaming Lab at the Texas A&M Department of Communication.
When asked about faculty members and staff at Texas A&M, spokesperson Kelly Brown gave the following response:
Faculty and staff also have the First Amendment right to speak freely on matters of public concern, which includes the right to post on their social media pages, present at conferences, publish articles and speak out on the leading issues of our day. The U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution and the Texas Education Code 51.9315 all require that institutions of higher education protect the right of free expression not only of our faculty and students, but all members of the Texas A&M community. A faculty member has freedom in the classroom provided that comments are appropriate for and relevant to the classroom topic and are subject to the faculty member’s responsibility to maintain and exhibit professional competence in the classroom, to demonstrate professionalism and to show respect for their students. The university’s statement on Academic Freedom, Responsibility, Tenure and Promotion can be found here.
Zoe Nowak was not the only figure that Texas A&M welcomed to push this transgenderism. Again, the university-funded student group Transcend was in the epicenter.
In March 2023, Transcend posted an advertisement for “An Evening of Comedy + Poetry With Alok.” According to the performer’s own website, “ALOK (they/them)” is the University of Pennsylvania’s “inaugural LGBTQ Scholar in Residence.” Alok has also written Femme in Public, Beyond the Gender Binary, and created #DeGenderFashion: “an initiative to degender fashion and beauty industries.”
The March 9 performance at Texas A&M was to celebrate the university’s new minor in “LGBTQ+ Studies.” The event was sponsored by Texas A&M’s Academy for the Visual and Performing Arts, College of Arts and Sciences, Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, Race and Ethnic Studies Institute, School of Performance, Visualization, and Fine Arts, and the Women and Gender Studies Program.
Fighting Science
Promotion of the idea that one can change his or her sex goes against scientific data. “To quote psychiatry professor Steve Levine, it is biologically impossible to change your sex,” said Dr. Andre Van Mol, co-chair of the American College of Pediatrician’s Committee on Adolescent Sexuality. “Sex is stamped on every nucleated cell in your body. Whatever cell you have that has a nucleus, it has a sex, and there’s nothing you can do to change your genetics.” He previously told Texas Scorecard this in our November 2022 investigative series “Abusive Medical Procedures.”
Hormone manipulation marketed as “hormone replacement therapy” (HRT) poses another risk. “Sex hormones have been prescribed for transgender adults for several decades, and the long-term risks and side effects are well understood,” The Cass Review interim report from the United Kingdom states. “These include increased cardiovascular risk, osteoporosis, and hormone-dependent cancers.” The report also adds that “there is still a lot we don’t know about the long-term effects.”
Proponents of these dangerous procedures claim that they improve the mental health of those suffering from gender dysphoria. Here again, Dr. Van Mol says the facts do not show that. In August 2020, he wrote about how the American Journal of Psychiatry was forced to issue a “rare and important correction” that month to an earlier study they had published by Richard Branstrom and John Pachankis, Ph.Ds. “Branstrom and Pachankis sought to generate ‘support for policies that ensure coverage of gender-affirming treatments.’ Their study demonstrated that neither ‘gender-affirming hormone treatment’ nor ‘gender-affirming surgery’ achieved reductions in utilization of mental health services for transgender-identified people in the first of its kind total population study of them,” Dr. Van Mol wrote. “Our team is of the conviction that many of the pro-transition studies we have read fare no better. Fad medicine is bad medicine, and gender anxious people deserve better than the rush to transition.”
Transcend
Freedom of speech is an important fixture of America and should be respected. Citizens should also be aware of radical student groups that have either received funding from taxpayer-funded entities or are connected to larger radical activist operations.
There are multiple LGBT groups on university campuses, but we are reporting on Transcend because this organization received monies from taxpayer-funded Texas A&M. A record Texas Scorecard obtained through the Texas Public Information Act reports that on November 19, 2023, Transcend received more than $432 in “Special Funding Grants” from the Student Organization Funding Department. The purpose of these funds was to buy tickets for the group to go to Jump World. A search found Jump World is another term for Jumping World, an indoor amusement park with trampolines, arcades, inflatable pits, and more. Its website states it provides entertainment for adults and children.
Texas Scorecard came upon Transcend as they were connected to on-campus pushes of transgender ideology by the university. “Transcend exists as a community and advocacy organization for the transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming and gender-questioning community at Texas A&M University and the Bryan-College Station area,” their website states.
The club has two faculty advisors who are employed by the university: Kris May (of the English Department) and Mindy Bergman (Head of the Psychological & Brain Sciences Department). Transcend states they “provide resources for social, medical, and legal transitioning process, and also host protests and educational programs to raise awareness about transphobia and anti-trans violence.”
Left to Right: Kris May, Mindy Bergman
Multiple presentations from Transcend are available online.
In a powerpoint presentation titled “Trans and Drag History,” the group expressed opposition to Tennessee’s Adult Entertainment Act, which banned drag queen show performances at locations where such performances could be seen by children. It also attacked laws that sought to protect minors from gender mutilation and hormone manipulation.
Their PowerPoint on “Make Up and Presentation” claims “there is no ‘right or wrong’ way to present as your gender – it’s all up to what you like.” It continues, “gender, particularly the gender binary, is a construct that varies in importance to people … Passing as one of the binary genders means playing into binary definitions of masculinity and femininity … Masculinity and femininity mean different things to different people! You don’t need to be perceived as your preferred gender in order to be yourself and feel like your gender.” The presentation advocates for binders, binding tape, packing, and tucking.
These are dangerous practices to advocate for. According to an essay published on Genspect, Binding “involves females tightly binding the chest to hide their breasts and achieve a more ‘masculine’ appearance.” Tucking “involves compressing male genitals into the groin or up between the legs to produce a flat ‘feminine’ appearance – in some cases actually pushing the testicles up the inguinal canals into the body.”
The essay points to a survey on binding of 1800 individuals that found:
Fully 97% experienced one or more side effects. These included pain, shortness of breath, digestive issues, and neurological issues. A total of 28 different side effects were reported, and it is evident when looking at the figures that many subjects must have experienced multiple issues.
As for tucking, the Genspect essay states “there is a paucity of research about the potential harms of genital tucking,” but notes “there are case studies of both infertility and testicular torsion occurring from tucking.” The essay also notes there are other risks as well. “Both tucking and binding involve teens inflicting discomfort, pain, and in some cases permanent harm to themselves in an attempt to hide the most visible signs of their developing adult sexuality from the world and from themselves.”
Another Transcend presentation, titled “Sex Ed,” refers people to the pro-abortion Planned Parenthood for birth control resources, and promotes the morning after pill (i.e. abortifacient pills). Their presentation titled “Surgeries” promotes gender mutilation and other harmful procedures.
The university-funded organization also promotes their ideology on social media posts.
Texas Scorecard asked the Board of Regents and Kelly Brown if funding this student organization helps secure the core educational mission of Texas A&M. Brown provided the following response:
Recognized student organizations and guest speakers are exempt from S.B. 17 [Texas’ DEI ban]. Student organizations have the right under the First Amendment to promote their views on social, policy and political issues and the University is precluded from interfering with or discriminating against them based on viewpoint. Section 51.9315 of the Texas Education Code bars universities from denying a student organization any benefit that is generally available to student organizations if the denial is based on the organization’s political, philosophical, idealogical or academic viewpoint/content. That section of the code also protects free expression on campus and prohibits the university from taking action to restrict or limit the topics or events student organizations seek to host on campus based on their message or viewpoint. Funding for student groups largely comes from the Good Bull Fund and the Student Organization Funding Assistance Board, which has a committee that designates money to various recognized student groups after a review process.
Conclusion
Texas A&M has long been beheld by Texans as a special institution. It was never supposed to follow the trend of leftist taxpayer-funded academia. It was supposed to buck it. Two statements on their website that make up the heart and soul of the institution show how it is supposed to be set apart from the rest.
Our purpose is to develop leaders of character dedicated to serving the greater good.
Our students live by an honor code of honesty and integrity. The Aggie Code of Honor is ‘An Aggie does not lie, cheat or steal or tolerate those who do.’
Yet in parts one and two of these investigative articles, lies are being pushed by Texas A&M and character is being deconstructed.
This has all happened under the supervision of the Texas A&M Board of Regents: Chairman Bill Mahomes, Vice Chairman Robert L. Albritton, David Baggett, John Bellinger, James R. “Randy” Brooks, Jay Graham, Michael A. “Mike” Hernandez III, Michael J. Plank, Sam Torn.
Texas Scorecard sent questions to the board about the findings within this article. They did not provide comment.
Concerned citizens may contact the Texas A&M Board of Regents through their A&M email addresses below:
Regent-bob-albritton@tamus.edu
Regent-david-baggett@tamus.edu
Regent-john-bellinger@tamus.edu
Regent-randy-brooks@tamus.edu
Regent-jay-graham@tamus.edu
Regent-mike-hernandez@tamus.edu
Regent-bill-mahomes@tamus.edu
Regent-michael-plank@tamus.edu
Regent-sam-torn@tamus.edu
Texas A&M Overall Response to Questions
Texas A&M University has worked to comply with Senate Bill 17 [Texas’ DEI ban] on advice and guidance from The Texas A&M University System. The university is fully compliant and equipped with mechanisms to promptly report and resolve compliance issues.The examples cited below in the emails either occurred before S.B. 17 went into effect on Jan. 1, 2024 or are specifically exempt per the new state law. S.B. 17 does not apply to academic course instruction, scholarly research or creative work. Additionally, student organizations are also exempt. Our core educational mission is to prepare students in leadership, responsibility and service to our society, and this requires a complete understanding of one’s chosen field and the cultural competencies to be successful in the modern world. We don’t endorse or advocate, but rather we educate and empower students with critical thinking skills to make up their own minds.
Source Documents
For this article, Texas Scorecard reviewed multiple documents.
Texas A&M Year to Year Data on the number of hormone replacement therapies, transgender care and “gender affirming care services” provided, number of abortion services provided, as well as referrals to Matt Hoffman, and abortion referrals.
Record of Funds Transferred from Texas A&M to Transcend.
Powerpoints from the Transcend student organization:
HRT Transitioning
Make Up and Presentation
Sex Ed
Surgeries
Trans and Drag History
This article contains highlights from these documents. Citizens wishing to conduct a deep dive should click the links above.
