Prof Martin Peterson was told not to teach Plato. Here's how he turned it into a free-speech lesson. - LGBTQ Nation

"In January, Peterson was warned not to teach Plato in his introductory course on philosophy because a metaphor described in the philosopher's Symposium, known as the "Ladder of Love," was deemed "gender ideology" by the university."

"It also followed the firing of another Texas A&M professor, who was secretly recorded by a student who took issue with her discussion of gender fluidity in a literature class. "According to our president, there's only two genders," the student told her, describing the concept as "illegal." Right-wing outrage followed."

"After the uproar over Plato, Peterson came to two conclusions: one, he didn't have a future at Texas A&M, so he took a job at Southern Methodist University, a private institution not subject to the whims of a far-right, red state government. He starts there in the fall."

"Two, he decided he would abide by the school's order to remove Plato from his course and turn the controversy into a teaching moment. "The university helped me create some great content for my course," Peterson says."

A philosophy professor at Texas A&M University was warned not to teach Plato in an introductory course because a metaphor from Plato’s Symposium, the “Ladder of Love,” was deemed “gender ideology.” The warning followed broader campus conflict involving a professor who was fired after a student secretly recorded a discussion of gender fluidity and objected that only two genders exist. After the Plato controversy, the professor concluded he would not have a future at Texas A&M and took a position at Southern Methodist University, a private institution. He also chose to comply with the university’s order by removing Plato from his course and using the controversy as a teaching moment.

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