Governor Ron DeSantis held a press conference in West Palm Beach as a bill that takes aim at diversity programs in universities is being heard in the legislature today.
Florida House bill 999 prohibits fields of study including race and gender studies, and prohibits spending on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in universities. The bill also allows tenure for professors to be reviewed at any time.
In front of a backdrop that read “Exposing the Diversity Scam”, DeSantis blamed university administrations for forcing diversity, equity, and inclusion on faculty and students.
“This is the administrative machinery of the university that is basically adopting a very strident ideology and then just imposing it on the students even if they never take a class on any of this.” DeSantis said.
DeSantis was joined by many anti-diversity advocates, including one Boise professor who was inspired to fight against DEI after public backlash against his misogynistic comments and a conservative activist who has described diversity as a farce and a cult.
This comes after students gained national attention at the University of South Florida and Florida State University for protesting the bill. Several Democratic Florida representatives have spoken in opposition to the bill. Representative Yvonne Hinson calls it “a complete takeover of Florida’s public universities.”
