But politicians and activists who oppose what they call “woke gender ideology,” are galvanized and doubling down, using this Texas A&M case to push for curricular reviews aimed at eliminating women’s, gender and sexuality studies from public colleges and universities across Texas.

Framed as bureaucratic oversight, conservatives seek to eliminate gender studies and related fields through procedural mechanisms that evade public scrutiny. The assaults on gender studies in Texas are not just a local issue; they are a national bellwether. They signal a coordinated effect to dismantle feminist and queer inquiry and remind us that silence, in the face of repression, is complicity.

The post The Politics of ‘Audit’: How Texas Is Using Bureaucracy to Erase Gender Studies appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

This means expanding the number of hybrid and remote learning options available through well-established colleges and universities.

It means rethinking the types of technological adaptations deemed as “undue hardships” in the context of student disability.

It means investing in longitudinal research regarding best pedagogical practices—the impacts of evidence-based instructional interventions in the remote learning milieu—and in the professional development of online instructors in synchronous and asynchronous online programs to ensure impact. 

To do so is to ensure that those who fight to pursue their education in nontraditional ways are not shortchanged, but rather equipped with the social and intellectual capital needed to work against the existential threats of our time.

The post From Veterans to Caregivers—The Importance of Expanding Remote Education for Women Worldwide appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

As a woman of color from the Global South whose scholarship and practice centers around decolonial feminist peace, my response to my students and others who ask me: Your whiteness does not affect the good work you do; however, not understanding and fully accepting this whiteness as it informs your work probably does.

Decolonial feminism calls for critically reflecting on our own role in generating knowledge (aka conducting research) within the academy, as well as the changes that our scholarship hopes to effect in the real world. When applied to our everyday practice, such reflexivity can minimize the harm we sometimes inadvertently inflict on vulnerable communities and violence-affected people.

The post Facing Our Violent Histories: Teaching Empathy in a Divided World appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

The incident at Texas A&M is emblematic of a broader assault on educators’ ability to address gender, sexuality and identity in the classroom. Laws like Senate Bill 37 and executive orders restricting discussion of “gender ideology” weaponize state power against both students and professors, undermining constitutional protections and silencing marginalized voices.

As Zeph Capo of the Texas American Federation of Teachers notes, these public calls for removal based on viral clips constitute an abuse of power—and yet, they are becoming normalized. This moment underscores the urgent need to protect feminist and LGBTQ+ perspectives in education, to ensure that classrooms remain spaces for inquiry, critical thinking and the affirmation of all students’ lived experiences.

The post Texas A&M Professor Dismissed, President Steps Down: The Price of Teaching Gender appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

Despite claims that these programs are too small or unsustainable, the evidence tells a different story. These courses draw students across disciplines, fulfill general education requirements, and prepare graduates for a diverse global workforce. Market data show they are often cost-effective, with faculty teaching across departments and reaching wide audiences. Employers stress the importance of the very skills our graduates carry: critical thinking, collaboration and cultural humility. The question for higher education leaders is clear: Will you stand with these programs that represent the best of our democratic values—or allow them to be dismantled by political opportunism and short-sighted cuts?

The post University Leaders Must Act: An Open Letter on the Threats Facing Critical Interdisciplinary Programs Like Women’s and Gender Studies appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

The post Our Graduates’ Successes: What the Data Tells Us About the Value of Women’s and Gender Studies Degrees appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

I would be nearly hopeless about the future of gender studies in the U.S. if not for a valuable lesson I learned teaching gender studies in Russia: Critical thinking is difficult to destroy. It will fester in the cracks and fissures left behind by the regime. And, when the regime collapses—as all authoritarian regimes eventually do—gender studies will return with the skills and courage to teach about how the world really is, not how many on the far right wish it would be.

The post Why Authoritarians Always Come for Gender Studies First appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

Programs like Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and the GI Bill exist because certain rights are too fundamental to be left to the whims of individual states or marketplaces. Education is one of them.

The post The Ghost of Jim Crow Haunts Trump’s War on Public Education appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

No one is being “protected” by these recent laws and proclamations. Instead, there are many students actively being hurt in their implementation and aftermath. When I think back to the important work my students did over a decade ago, it feels blatantly disingenuous to see those efforts superseded by politicians in the name of “protecting all students.” What those lawmakers have done is put some students in far more vulnerable positions; and educational institutions have been forced to forgo the needs of their students in order to comply.

The post Protecting All Students Requires Listening to Them: Reflections on the Implementation of Ohio’s Anti-Trans ‘Bathroom Bill’ appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

The post DEI in the Age of Trump: A Roadmap on How to Build More Just Communities in the Next Four Years appeared first on Ms. Magazine.