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.
“They don’t believe gender-affirming healthcare is a real need,” Sadagopan said. “It’s about reducing equality on campus for minority populations.”
The Rudder Association’s website emphasizes its mission to uphold “respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity and selfless service” at Texas A&M. While a university spokesperson told the Texas Tribune that external letters and articles did not influence the decision, students like Sadagopan remain skeptical.
The pushback begins
In response to the cuts, the YDSA launched a campaign to restore gender-affirming care and other health services — such as STI testing and treatment — that were also reduced.
Sadagopan noted that YDSA’s initiative is not just about healthcare; it’s about protecting minority students and their rights on campus.
“We want to foster an environment where the LGBTQ+ community feels included and supported by the administration,” Sadagopan said.
The YDSA collaborated with other organizations, including the Queer Empowerment Council, to create a petition and organize a rally on Nov. 19. The rally, held at Academic Plaza, aimed to educate the broader student body about the importance of gender-affirming care and the ongoing struggle to maintain inclusive healthcare services at the university.
More than 300 signatures were collected online, with many more added in person.
A community left struggling
For transgender students like Vanessa Dickerson, president of the LGBTQ student group Transcend at Texas A&M, the loss of care is devastating. Dickerson described the situation as sudden and shocking.
On July 1, students receiving transition-related services at the Beutel Health Center were informed through the university’s patient portal that the care they relied on would be discontinued as of Aug. 1. For Dickerson, the abruptness of the announcement, with just a month to make new arrangements, felt like a betrayal.
“Out of nowhere, the people who supported us for years just informed us that we had one month to find new care,” Dickerson said. “It was something that nobody thought was possible. There were rumors about it, but it was shocking when the official message came.”
The short notice added to the stress of the situation for students.
“One month is not enough time to get care from a good doctor,” Dickerson emphasized. “We’ve been left hanging, trying to figure out what’s next while running out of medication.”
Despite the university offering assistance through health services to connect students with off-campus providers, the reality for many has been far more complicated. Dickerson pointed out that students hadn’t yet registered for fall classes when the announcement was made, meaning they couldn’t access the university’s system to reply to the message and seek help.
The lack of clear, immediate support compounded the stress many trans students were already feeling.
“Good care is hard to come by,” Dickerson said. “Many of us are running out of our meds.
I’ve found care outside of campus, but I know plenty of people who haven’t been able to yet.”
Some students have turned to online healthcare services like Plume and Folks, but even these resources come with challenges — like long waiting lists, higher costs and a less personal touch compared to in-person care.
“Getting new care is going to be more expensive because university healthcare was subsidized,” Dickerson noted. “Now, we’re facing longer wait times and added financial strain.”
Dickerson also expressed frustration at the way the university handled the situation.
For years, she said, Transcend had been in communication with campus leadership about the importance of gender-affirming care, and there were no signs that services were in danger.
“We talked to leadership, and they reassured us that things were going to be okay,” Dickerson recalled. “Then, out of nowhere, we got this cold, clinical message telling us it was over. It was shocking.”
The situation has had a ripple effect across the trans community on campus, with students experiencing heightened anxiety and uncertainty about their futures. Many feel the university, once a source of support, has now left them to fend for themselves.
“It feels like we’re being pushed out of our own school,” Dickerson said. “We shouldn’t have to worry about access to healthcare or wonder what right will be taken away next.”
Despite these challenges, Dickerson and the members of Transcend remain committed to advocating for their peers and fighting to reinstate the services that have been cut.
“We’re not giving up,” Dickerson said. “This fight is about more than healthcare; it’s about ensuring that our voices and needs are valued on campus.
Transcend recommends that students looking for gender affirming care and resources contact the Pride Community Center. The center has a program offering micro-grants to help students pay for their care. The center also accepts donations to fund the grants.
A political and personal battle
For Sadagopan, Dickerson and others involved in the campaign, the fight to reinstate gender-affirming care goes beyond the services themselves. It’s about standing against what they see as a larger, troubling trend of marginalization.
With Texas recently passing anti-trans legislation, they fear this is just the beginning of more widespread discrimination against the LGBTQ community on campus.
“This decision wasn’t made with the best medical practices in mind,” Dickerson said. “It feels like we’re being pushed out of our own university.”
Sadagopan echoed this sentiment, expressing concerns about the broader political climate, especially with the most recent presidential election.
“Texas A&M is already a conservative campus, and I worry that since Trump was re-elected, the experience for transgender students will only get worse,” Sadagopan said. “There’s already more transphobic rhetoric, and that affects every aspect of campus life.”
What’s next?
The YDSA and other student organizations are determined to keep up the fight. Their demands include expanding university healthcare services, reclassifying the Beutel Health Center to receive more funding and reinstating the gender-affirming care and other specialized healthcare services that were cut.
“This is enough,” said Kelsea Bancroft, a sophomore and chair in YDSA. “We can’t let this go on. There are people being hurt, and we have the power to change that.”
For many students, including those who participated in the rally and signed the petition, this isn’t just a fight for healthcare. It’s a fight for dignity and equality.
“We need to make noise while they quietly take away our rights,” Dickerson said. “College is supposed to be about personal growth, and we shouldn’t have to worry about losing access to basic healthcare.”
As the campaign gains momentum, students hope that by bringing national attention to the issue, they can pressure the university to reverse its decision.
We’re thinking about our Aggies 10 years from now,” Sadagopan said. “We’re fighting to make sure they inherit a campus where everyone can thrive.”