Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday passed a bill aiming to bar diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs from public schools and universities, along with programs that require agreement with a so-called “divisive concept,” according to reports.
The legislation is now headed to the desk of Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who’s expected to sign it into law.
The bill would block public school boards and universities from having an office that promotes DEI work and restrict any training for students or staff that pushes for assent to “divisive” ideas like racism and sexism, CNN noted.
Concepts mentioned in the bill include whether “the moral character of an individual is determined by his or her race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin” or if “meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are racist or sexist.”
Employees and contractors who go against the proscription on those ideas could be fired, the legislation states.
“What we are saying is that I can’t tell you that you are, and you have to consent to, that you’re a sexist because of certain things,” state Sen. Will Barfoot, a Republican who sponsored the bill, said during a February hearing.
The bill allows for students and staff to host DEI programs “provided that no state funds are used,” while instructors would be permitted to teach topics in a “historically accurate context.”
Protestors marched outside the Alabama state capitol earlier this month in opposition to the bill, holding signs that read “Democracy thrives on diversity” and “DEI saves lives.”
“This bill is intended to have a chilling effect on discourse regarding race, class, sexuality, and national origin, and seeks to characterize these discussions … as ‘divisive,’” the ACLU of Alabama said in a statement.
