Alabama has joined several other states in turning the tide of leftist activism by starving diversity, equity, and inclusion programs of funding at all public institutions and requiring males and females to use bathrooms on college campuses that correspond with their sex.
SB129 takes aim at eight “divisive concepts” related to race, religion, sex, ethnicity, and national origin. All too often, the bill claims, programs that focus on such concepts foster an unwarranted “sense of guilt, complicity, or a need to apologize.”
Apparently to counteract some of the social and emotional consequences of these “divisive concepts,” SB129 prevents the state from providing funds for DEI programs or offices at state agencies and public schools. It also bans mandatory DEI trainings, compelling individuals to share a “personal point of view on any divisive concept outside of an academic setting” and limiting enrollment to a class or training based on race. The law even applies to all firms that contract with the state, except those providing construction services.
“My administration has and will continue to value Alabama’s rich diversity, however, I refuse to allow a few bad actors on college campuses – or wherever else for that matter – to go under the acronym of DEI, using taxpayer funds, to push their liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe,” Gov. Kay Ivey (R) said in a statement.
Alabama House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels took the opposite view, calling the law “regressive” and claiming that it “undermines the strides we’ve made in cultivating an inclusive society in Alabama.”
Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas have passed similar measures to eradicate DEI as well.
In addition to effectively killing DEI in Alabama, SB129 helps protect women and girls on college campuses by placing an important restriction on bathroom use there. “Each public institution of higher education shall ensure that every multiple occupancy restroom be designated for use by individuals based on their biological sex,” the bill reads. Thus, men who claim to be women will no longer be able to enter a restroom on campus reserved for females.
Violations of the new bathroom or DEI regulations will result in “certain penalties,” the bill says. The bill lists professional disciplinary action and termination of employment as possible “penalties” but did not necessarily preclude others.
Both chambers of the state legislature voted to approve the measure this week before Gov. Ivey signed it into law on Wednesday. The law will go into effect on October 1.
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