state Texas: Last News

Texas A&M students protest service cuts at clinic

Students push back with campaign and rally after TAMU cuts gender-affirming care

CAROLINE SAVOIE | Contributing Writer
carolinesavoie@gmail.com

For more than a decade, Texas A&M University provided gender-affirming care to students through its Beutel Health Center, offering critical support to the transgender community on campus. But on July 1 this year, students were notified via patient portal notification that these services would end on Aug. 1.

The announcement was met with significant concern, as gender-affirming care had been offered at the university’s medical services since 2012. The email left many students scrambling to find alternative healthcare providers in a state where options are dwindling due to legislative pressure.

The end of gender-affirming care
The Texas Tribune reported that Tiffany Skaggs, a senior director with Texas A&M’s health services, advised students in need of transition-related care to contact her department for help finding off-campus providers. But for many, that was little comfort. Transitioning to new care, often more expensive without university subsidies, posed a significant challenge for students already balancing the financial and emotional toll of their healthcare needs.

A spokesperson for the university explained that the decision was driven by the need to focus more resources on mental health services as the student population increased. But many within the student body believe the university’s decision was influenced by external pressures from conservative groups and alumni.

Allegations of outside pressure

Shakkthipratha Sadagopan, chair of the Young Democratic Socialists of America at Texas A&M, suggested that the decision may have been politically motivated. Sadagopan pointed to the Rudder Association, a group of former students seeking to promote conservative values on campus, as a potential influence on the university’s move to cut gender-affirming care.

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