Republican Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has signed an anti-DEI bill focused on college campuses into law.
Ivey signed SB129 into law on March 20 and it will take effect on Oct. 1. In a statement, Ivey said the measure supports academic freedom, according to AL.com.
“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,” Ivey said. “We have already taken action to prevent this in our K-12 classrooms, and I am pleased to sign SB129 to protect our college campuses. Supporting academic freedom, embracing diversity of cultures and backgrounds and treating people fairly are all key components of what we believe in Alabama, and I am more than confident that will continue.”
The law bans eight “divisive concepts” which fall under the belief that ”any race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.”
