Universities in Ohio have announced that they are shutting down their LGBTQ+ centers to comply with a recent state ban on DEI initiatives.
Ohio’s Senate Bill 1 will go into effect on June 27 and according to Advocate it imposes not only DEI ban in higher education, but also limits ability to “endorse or oppose, as an institution, any controversial belief or policy, except on matters that directly impact the institution’s funding or mission of discovery, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge.” It would also prohibit faculty strikes and limit classroom discussions, according to AP News.
The bill was signed by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine back in March despite backlash. Ohio’s Democrats and the state’s two largest K-12 teachers’ unions were joined by the ACLU, American Historical Association, and American Association of University Professors in calling on DeWine to reject the bill.
As a result of the ban, Ohio State University – which has nearly 70,000 students – has closed two of its DEI offices, cut 16 staff positions, and deactivated its website offering support to LGBTQ+ students. Kent State University also announced the shuttering of “several identity-based centers” including their LGBTQ+ Center, Women’s Center, and Student Multicultural Center. The school also terminated its LGBTQ+ Living-Learning Community, which offered queer students the opportunity to live together.
According to the Akron Beacon Journal, University of Toledo has also discontinued nine undergraduate majors in response to the bill.
The state ban follows DEI bans imposed by executive orders from Donald Trump. Throughout the nation, DEI programs and initiatives at corporations have shuttered along with nonprofits, and funding for many research institutions associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Advocate reports, the ACLU of Ohio has argued that the law violates students’ and universities’ freedom of speech. Policy Director Jocelyn Rosnick said in a statement “as students nationwide witness the ongoing assaults against their First Amendment rights, it is disheartening to see Ohio’s own legislators follow suit in this dangerous pattern of stifling political discourse.”
“By dismantling DEI structures, Senate Bill 1 sends a clear, harmful message to students that their unique backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives are not welcome in Ohio,” said Rosnick. “Further the exceedingly vague and contradictory language regarding the banning of so-called ‘controversial beliefs or policies’ creates a slippery slope for faculty and administration. This could lead to faculty avoiding any such topics in classrooms for fear of retaliation.”
Rosnick urged that higher education institutions remain systems of academic freedom and diversity without censorship.
