This year, six states, including one with a Democratic governor, have either banned or prohibited the use of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in public colleges and universities. This practice has been controversial for several years, most frequently opposed by Republicans and described by critics as an industry that pushes a left-wing ideology. In 2024, Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, and Utah passed laws banning or limiting the use of DEI teaching and practices in their state’s education system. These states have prohibited schools from engaging in discriminatory practices based on personal identity characteristics and from promoting divisive concepts related to race, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.
The anti-DEI laws in these states banned schools from having any policy, procedure, practice, program, office, initiative, or required training related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Some of the legislation also required that restrooms be used on the basis of biological sex rather than gender identity, and authorized penalties for violations. In March, Indiana amended the duties of state educational institutions’ diversity committees and increased intellectual diversity. The Indiana House introduced legislation further prohibiting DEI teachings by banning certain concepts related to race or sex from being promoted in any course.
Kansas allowed legislation prohibiting postsecondary educational institutions from engaging in certain DEI-related actions to become law without the signature of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The bill imposes fines on public institutions that employ DEI practices in faculty hiring or student enrollment processes. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill in May that contained provisions to limit DEI in schools. The bill prohibits promoting widely contested opinions referencing unconscious bias, cultural appropriation, transgender ideology, and other related concepts. Idaho also passed a resolution requiring that institutions ensure no central offices, policies, procedures, or initiatives are dedicated to DEI ideology and that no employee or student is required to declare gender identity or preferred pronouns.
Many other states, including Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, have previously banned the practice of DEI in higher education. Critics of DEI initiatives argue that they push a left-wing ideological orthodoxy and promote divisive concepts and practices. While some governors, such as Utah’s Republican Governor Spencer Cox, have signed legislation to prohibit discriminatory practices based on personal identity characteristics, others, like Iowa’s Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, have passed bills to limit DEI in schools. Overall, the debate over the implementation of DEI initiatives in public colleges and universities continues to be a controversial and polarizing issue across the country.
