Texas joins Florida in banning DEI in higher education
Jeremiah Poff
Texas is poised to ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in state universities after the state legislature passed a bill prohibiting the programs.
The bill, SB 17, passed the state legislature on Sunday and now heads to the desk of Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who has widely expected to sign it and make Texas the second state alongside Florida to ban DEI offices in higher education. Abbott has consistently spoken out against such programs, and his office has already said that using DEI metrics in hiring is illegal under state law.
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Republicans were quick to celebrate the passage of the bill, arguing that the measure was necessary to safeguard merit at state universities.
“The days of political oaths, compelled speech, and racial profiling in university hiring are behind us,” Texas Republican state Sen. and bill sponsor Brandon Creighton said after the bill passed, according to the Texas Tribune. “Moving forward, Texas will prioritize the advancement of the most qualified individuals and endorse policies that promote diversity and equality for our great state.”
Under the provisions of the bill, universities will be barred from creating diversity, equity, and inclusion offices, hiring employees charged with working on DEI, or requiring DEI trainings for faculty, staff, or students. The bill also codifies a ban on diversity statements in hiring.
Cherise Trump, the executive director of the conservative free speech advocacy group Speech First, told the Washington Examiner that she was “glad” to see the ban on DEI programs pass. Her organization partnered with several other conservative groups earlier this year to create model legislation for banning DEI programs.
“While ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ initiatives may sound good in theory, in practice, they lead to some of the most unconstitutional and divisive practices we have seen on college campuses to date,” Trump, who is not related to the former president, said. “With the power to censor and compel students’ speech, DEI departments do nothing to attain their stated goal of inclusivity. This is a huge blow to the DEI regime running our college campuses nationwide. I’m glad to see this type of legislation being pursued.”
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But not everyone in Texas was happy about the bill. In a statement over the weekend, the Texas Conference of the American Association of University Professors blasted the legislation as a “giant step backwards.”
“The bill sends a clear message to students, faculty, and staff that our state is not committed to welcoming students from all backgrounds and to building a public higher education system that is truly inclusive and supportive of all,” Texas AAUP Vice President Brian Evans said in a statement. “The State should prepare for a loss of billions of dollars in research and programmatic grants. We are already seeing staff and faculty leaving the state in response to proposed anti-DEI legislation, and anticipate this trend to be magnified in the years ahead.”