Republican Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Wednesday that prohibits local governments in his state from promoting or funding diversity initiatives, claiming the programmes discriminate against groups such as white men.
Republican state leaders and US President Donald Trump’s administration have rallied against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices.
Civil rights advocates said DEI practices help address historic inequities for marginalised groups such as women, the LGBTQI+ community and racial and ethnic minorities.
“I would think with DEI the disfavoured groups, number one obviously, would be white males and I think they’ve been discriminated against,” DeSantis said on Wednesday.
The bill prohibits local governments from establishing or maintaining DEI offices or programmes, DeSantis’s office said.
The legislation also requires grant recipients to certify public funds will not be used to advance DEI and provides enforcement mechanisms, including penalties for officials who violate the law, it added.
Republicans, casting diversity programmes as anti-merit and discriminatory against groups such as white people and men, have cracked down on DEI at state and federal levels.
Trump has signed executive orders directing the dismantling of DEI policies at federal agencies and in the private sector, including in government contractors and subcontractors. Trump has also attempted to freeze federal funding for universities over DEI.
DEI practices, among others, include:
- training on combating discrimination;
- addressing pay inequity along gender or racial lines; and
- broadening recruitment and access for underrepresented ethnic groups.
DeSantis also signed a bill prohibiting initiatives related to climate change. That law will prevent new taxes, fees and penalties tied to carbon emissions, his office said.
Rights advocates have criticised Republicans for cracking down on DEI, climate initiatives, transgender rights and pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel’s assault on Gaza.
Civil rights groups said such steps violate free speech and due process. Republicans cast their actions as being against “woke”, “far-left” and “anti-American” ideologies.
Earlier this month, DeSantis signed into law a measure that gave him and other state officials the power to designate groups as “terrorist organisations”.
Reuters