State laws force professors to strip race, gender content from curricula

State-level statutes targeting discussions of race, gender and sexuality have led to direct interference in university curricula. Martin Peterson, a philosophy professor at Texas A&M, chose to resign after administrators demanded the removal of Plato's Symposium, a text that explores various forms of love and a third gender. Similarly, John W. White, an education professor at the University of North Florida, was ordered to excise the terms “diversity,” “equity,” “inclusion” and “culture” from his syllabus to comply with state rules.

Scholars such as Neal Hutchens note that this regulatory trend generates a chilling effect, leaving professors uncertain about the safety of their pedagogical choices. PEN America reports that nearly half of U.S. students attend schools in states where at least one law limits classroom discussion of race, gender or sexuality, with Texas and Florida among the most restrictive. The climate of uncertainty threatens academic freedom and the quality of student learning.