Texas A&M President Steps Down Amid Dispute Over Classroom Video on Gender Identity

Mark Welsh’s exit follows a dispute over a children’s literature lesson that a Republican lawmaker said amounted to ‘LGBTQ indoctrination.’

Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh addresses the crowd inside Kyle Field as his wife Betty looks on during Midnight Yell in College Station, Texas, on Aug. 30, 2025. Sam Craft/AP Photo

Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III is resigning after a classroom video showing a student objecting to a children’s literature lesson on gender identity set off a political firestorm that culminated in the firing of a longtime professor and scrutiny from state leaders.

Chancellor Glenn Hegar announced on Sept. 19 that Welsh would step down effective Friday at 5 p.m., calling it “the right moment for change” at one of the nation’s largest universities. He did not address the video or the controversy it stirred.