This episode of The Gray Area was guest-hosted by senior producer Avishay Artsy. College ethics professors don’t usually make headlines that reverberate around the world. And yet, Texas A&M University philosophy professor Martin Peterson found himself being interviewed dozens of times after university officials told him to remove the Greek philosopher Plato from his class on contemporary moral issues.
The reason? A new university policy limiting discussion of race and gender in the classroom. Peterson’s syllabus included selections from Plato’s Symposium that discuss same-sex relationships and ideas about how gender identity is formed. He was notified in January by the head of his department that the readings violated Texas A&M Board of Regents’ policy barring “race and gender ideology.”
Peterson, who also serves as the campus chair of the Academic Freedom Council, fired back, calling the directive “an outright violation of one of the most basic principles of academic freedom.” In April, he resigned from his tenured Texas A&M position to take a new job at Southern Methodist University.
I invited Peterson onto The Gray Area to talk about what happened, who should decide what’s taught in a university classroom, and why he thinks we should all be reading Plato. As always, there’s much more in the full podcast, which drops every Monday and Friday, so listen to and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or wherever you find podcasts. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Incident and the Policy
Peterson teaches a course on contemporary moral issues. He asked his students to read Plato’s Symposium, and the university decided that the text could not be assigned because it is “woke.” The text brings up topics related to gender issues, which are not permissible under a new policy in place for certain topics that are not allowed to be discussed at all. Peterson was told not to teach Plato, which he finds absurd given that he is in the philosophy department.
The Symposium is a text about the nature of love, discussing many different forms of love. Plato dismisses ordinary love between men and women and considers the highest form of love to be love of philosophy and more abstract feelings. He also talks about same-sex relationships as being fully natural. The university had problems with this because the censorship policy forbids discussion of sexual identity.
Peterson explains that the Symposium features seven men giving speeches about the nature of love, including Socrates and Aristophanes. He wanted to include Aristophanes’ speech, which presents a theory of different kinds of sexual identities. Aristophanes describes three kinds of people: male/male, female/female, and male/female, who were split and now search for their counterparts.
Peterson notes that reading such texts helps students discover how ancient thinkers thought about certain types of relationships being perfectly normal and valuable. He encourages listeners to read Plato’s Symposium themselves, as it is available online for free.
The Board of Regents and the Policy
In late 2025, the Texas A&M University System Regents adopted a policy requiring approval for courses that address race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Peterson called this “outright censorship.” The regents are appointed by the governor and are typically successful businessmen with conservative views, implementing the governor’s vision for the university.
Peterson explains that the policy was prompted by the firing of a lecturer in the Department of English, Melissa McCoul, who taught children’s literature from a gender perspective. The governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, tweeted that she should be fired, and the president complied. In response, the Board of Regents implemented the new policy.
The policy requires professors to have materials reviewed and show that they serve a “necessary educational purpose” to teach topics related to race, gender, and sexual orientation. However, Peterson’s course is a core class, which cannot get exceptions from the president. Only non-core classes can submit for review, making it impossible for many philosophy courses to include such topics.
Impact on Other Courses and Faculty
Peterson notes that the policy affects other professors as well. Courses like Introduction to Race and Ethnicity, Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies, and Human Sexuality cannot be taught under the new policy. The cultural discourse requirement is being revised, and many courses are being canceled or heavily censored.
Many professors agree with Peterson but are afraid to speak out due to the risk of being fired. Peterson, as chair of the Academic Freedom Council, felt it was his duty to speak up. He believes the policy is bad for the university’s reputation and that the value of a degree from Texas A&M will decline.
Public Reaction and Academic Freedom
Peterson believes the situation garnered attention because everyone understands that Plato is not dangerous. Teaching Plato in the philosophy department should not be a concern. He suggests that the far-right ideological push has gone too far, and people laughed at the absurdity of censoring a classic text from over 2,300 years ago.
He argues that while the board is accountable to the people of Texas, it is not appropriate for them to micromanage course content. Experts should decide what is taught in the classroom. He also warns against politically motivated changes that could shift curriculum dramatically with changes in political leadership.
Resignation and Move to SMU
Peterson resigned from Texas A&M because he felt he had made his point through numerous interviews and public testimony, but the board did not revise the policy. He accepted a position at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, a private institution where state censorship policies do not directly impact his teaching.
Peterson looks forward to joining SMU, which he believes still values academic freedom. He notes that American universities are strong because they attract talent from around the world and allow free development of ideas without interference. He hopes this trend continues.
