Florida Colleges Close LGBTQ+ Centers Following Ron DeSantis’s “Dystopian” Anti-DEI Law | LGBTQNation

This blog originally appeared at LGBTQ NATION.

“The LGBT center was one of the main reasons I chose to attend this university.”

The University of North Florida (UNF) has closed its LGBTQ+, intercultural, interfaith, and women’s centers to comply with Gov. Ron DeSantis’s 2023 law banning publicly funded universities from spending money on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

The LGBTQ Center, which had been open for 18 years, closed just seven days before graduation. It is one of several queer centers at state schools that have shut down since DeSantis signed the law.

In a message to students, UNF’s now-closed Office of Diversity and Inclusion stated, “Associated physical locations and communication methods are no longer in active operation. We extend our deepest gratitude to every student who supported and engaged with this office throughout the years. It was an honor to have been a part of your UNF journey.”

The LGBTQ Center closed its doors on April 26. Student workers packed up rainbow flags and a bin of free clothing, binders, and accessories. Doyle Tate, an assistant professor of psychology at UNF who researches LGBTQ topics, took the center’s artwork depicting a giant rainbow Osprey, UNF’s mascot.

In January, UNF announced the closure of the office and centers to comply with the anti-DEI law. The law categorizes DEI programs as those that classify individuals based on race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation, and promote differential or preferential treatment based on such classification.

“I’m currently safeguarding it in my office until Florida stops its crusade against DEI on college campuses and the LGBTQ Center hopefully reopens one day,” Tate told OutSFL.

When signing the law, DeSantis stated, “DEI is better viewed as standing for ‘discrimination, exclusion, and indoctrination,’ and that has no place in our public institutions. [DEI] has basically been used as a veneer to impose an ideological agenda and that is wrong… If you want to do things like gender ideology, go to Berkeley, go to some of these other places… You don’t just get to take taxpayer dollars and do whatever the heck you want to do and think that’s somehow OK.”

Critics of the law argue that it will hinder efforts to recruit students and educators, as well as shut down courses that examine gender inequality, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and racial injustice.

The statement appears to be clear and informative. It reassures employees that their jobs are secure despite the closures of the DEI office and centers, and it indicates that efforts are being made to find alternative roles for affected staff members within the university.

The sentence effectively communicates the reaction of UNF students to the closure of the LGBTQ+ Center, highlighting their protest against the decision. It provides context about the students’ actions and the location of the protest, offering insight into the level of concern and engagement within the student body regarding this issue.

“Having the center meant finding friends and gaining knowledge about my gender and sexual orientation,” said Lissie Morales, a student at UNF, in an interview with WTLV. “Seeing the turnout warms my heart because it shows how much people care, especially about the LGBT Center, which was a significant factor in my decision to attend UNF.”

The closure will undoubtedly affect UNF’s reputation as a champion of diversity within the university community. Previously recognized as one of the most LGBTQ+-inclusive campuses in the state by Campus Pride, UNF may see its standing impacted by the closure of the LGBTQ+ center.

In 2023, Florida Atlantic University shuttered its DEI centers, and the University of Florida in Gainesville followed suit in March, terminating 13 full-time DEI positions and discontinuing 15 administrative appointments, as reported by the Independent Florida Alligator.

The quote effectively captures the sentiment that the anti-DEI law reflects Governor Ron DeSantis’s agenda of censorship and surveillance, as expressed by Carlos Guillermo Smith, a former Florida House Democrat and advisor to the state LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality Florida.

Smith criticized the Board of Governors for failing to intervene and instead, he asserted that they blindly followed Governor DeSantis’s political agenda, which he described as centered on censorship.

DeSantis additionally approved the state’s “Stop WOKE Act,” barring schools and businesses from providing educational initiatives on racism and gender-based discrimination. However, the law is currently under review by a court due to concerns about its potential infringement on constitutionally protected free speech rights.

Federal Judge Mark E. Walker, who halted the enforcement of the Stop WOKE Act last year, characterized the law as “positively dystopian,” noting that it “formally prohibits professors from articulating disapproved perspectives in university classrooms while allowing unrestricted expression of opposing viewpoints.”

The quote from Judge Mark E. Walker effectively captures the essence of the law’s restriction on academic freedom. It highlights the condition that professors are only permitted to express viewpoints sanctioned by the state, thereby illustrating the law’s infringement on intellectual liberty.