Scrolling through Facebook is sometimes repetitive, thanks to an algorithm that feeds you what Mark Zuckerberg thinks is best for you. Sometimes, you get pleasantly surprised by pages that seemingly post things out of nowhere you would not expect.
March 31 is the International Transgender Day of Visibility. You might expect the usual suspects, like HRC or your local LGBTQ organization to acknowledge it– maybe even hold a vigil. But would you expect a mainstream TV channel to post about it? And not just for the news of the day itself?
Local Raleigh North Carolina ABC affiliate channel 11 WTVD posted a Facebook message and photo wishing everyone a happy International Transgender Day of Visibility. The post then oddly links to a cushy story about a troupe of trans and nonbinary folks who are running an improv show in Hollywood at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Personally, I would have preferred a story about transgender folks in North Carolina and what they go through on a daily basis. But, we got something, dammit.
As one would imagine, the post has also earned over 11,000 comments and 16,000+ reactions. They go both directions and if you would like to read them you can on their Facebook post. Showing support as you read by clicking like or love, and a positive comment, would also be appreciated by many.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in a press release today (Monday, March 31) that his office has filed a legal petition to “conduct depositions on key Dallas Independent School District officials as part of an ongoing investigation to ensure that the district is not violating Texas law by permitting biological males to participate in girls’ sports.”
In February, Paxton demanded that Dallas ISD turn over “extensive records … related to alarming evidence that the District had implemented an unwritten policy of encouraging students to alter their birth certificates to play sports in violation of the Texas law prohibiting a student from competing in interscholastic athletic competitions designated for the opposite biological sex.”
“Biological sex,” by the way, is the catchphrase that certain political elements living on the extreme right of the political spectrum to give a scientific-sounding cover for their basic transphobia. As Psychology Today notes: “What is biological sex? It seems like a question with an obvious answer: male and female, of course. You might point to internal or external sex organs, or sex chromosomes (XX for females, XY for males), or genes (such as SRY, the maestro responsible for kicking off male development).
“These answers are only part of the story — and they work well enough for most humans. But for all humans? Not quite. And when it comes to the rest of the biological world, those explanations crumble like sandcastles under the tide of nature’s diversity.”
But back to Paxton’s attack of the day: The AG’s press release says the list of individuals he intends to depose includes Dallas ISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde, LGBT Youth Program Coordinator Mahoganie Gaston and the members of the Board of Trustees.
Paxton claims that “Gaston has been filmed telling a parent that a male student would be allowed to participate in girls’ sports if the parent changed the birth certificate of their son to ‘female,’” that the district “find[s] the loopholes in everything” and that she is “willing to go to jail for defying Texas law.”
A statement attributed to Paxton in the press release declares, “School districts must follow the law, keep our children safe and end these insane ‘gender theory’ policies that ignore reality and encourage illegal actions. ISD officials who have participated in this madness will be held accountable.
“The systematic effort by Dallas ISD officials to circumvent Texas law will be exposed and stopped.”
Dallas Voice has reached out to Dallas ISD officials for comment.
(P.S. This press release came from the AG’s office on the same day Paxton sent a press release explaining how his office is going to make certain local district attorneys report to him so he can make sure they are doing things his way. We’re still waiting on a comment from Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot’s office for some sort of official response, but a quick Google search indicates that Ken Paxton has no supervisory authority of local DAs who, by the way, are themselves public officials elected by the public, same as Paxton.)
LGBTQ+ Pride flags in Boise’s North End remain in limbo after Idaho lawmakers passed a bill that bans the flags in some public spaces.
House lawmakers Friday approved amendments to House Bill 96, which allows government entities to display only certain flags, such as the official Idaho, U.S. and state flags. The bill still needs Gov. Brad Little’s signature to become law.
“The ultimate goal is for us to fly flags that unite and don’t divide,” said Sen. Ben Toews, R-Coeur d’Alene, during a floor debate.
Earlier this year, photographs given to legislators on the House floor included the Pride flags along Harrison Boulevard, where flags are flown during Pride Month in June, and at Boise City Hall. Boise spokesperson Maria Weeg said the bill would likely impact the city’s Pride flags, but in a later message told the Idaho Statesman that the city hasn’t officially engaged on the bill and “we don’t usually comment on bills that have not been signed into law.”
As written, the bill would ban the Harrison Pride flags, because the Ada County Highway District controls the medians, ACHD spokesperson Rachel Bjornestad previously told the Statesman. Those flags have been stolen or vandalized four years in a row. Proponents said the legislation is important to preserve neutrality, and even conservative flags would be banned. But critics said the bills target marginalized communities because it’s a direct response to the Pride flags flown in Boise.
“Now, when we want to celebrate and unite under this rainbow flag and support our community, that is going to be taken from us by the state,” said Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise. “We welcome everyone in my district.”
The bill’s passage comes days after Little signed House Bill 41, which bans schools from displaying flags and banners that “promote political, religious or ideological viewpoints.” A week before, a Meridian teacher’s posters drew local and national headlines, according to previous Statesman reporting. West Ada School District officials had told Sarah Inama, a world civilization teacher, to take down two signs, including one with “Everyone is welcome here,” above hands of different skin tones.
Community members have responded by marking welcoming messages outside West Ada schools, according to previous Statesman reporting, as well as making and wearing shirts with the sign’s message. Utah this week became the first state to prohibit Pride flags in both schools and all government buildings.
UNT System Chancellor Michael Williams sent a directive on March 28 to the presidents of each university campus, informing them of a pause on any drag performances on campus or any state-funded facilities, effective immediately.
The directive states that the pause is supported by the Board of Regents to comply with state and federal laws and executive orders.
“As a public university it is our responsibility to comply with all applicable federal and state laws and executive orders while balancing our duty to carry out our core missions of teaching, learning and research,” Williams said in the directive.
The directive says the university will “wait on a definitive ruling on litigation against other Texas universities” before providing “necessary guidance.”
Nicole King, the Student Government Association’s director of advocacy, said Elizabeth With, senior vice president for Student Affair had reached out to the GLAD Queer Alliance – a student organization aimed at representing the needs and concerns of the queer community – and the Sigma Lambda Gammas – a sorority focused on empowerment for women of all cultural backgrounds – to “inform them about this new decision.”
The two student organizations at the university had previously planned drag shows for April.
The GLAD Queer Alliance was planning to hold the GLAD Queer Alliance UNT Drag Show 2025 on April 10 in the Emerald Ballroom in the University Union.
UNT Gammas Drag Night with the Gammas was slated to be held on April 11 in the Lyceum Theatre in the University Union.
The Daily could not confirm whether the two events will be moved off-campus at the time of writing.
Other Texas universities have enforced drag bans in the previous months in what they say is a response to President Donald Trump’s January 20 Executive Order “defending women from gender ideology extremism” and Gov. Greg Abbott’s letter stating that Texas “recognizes only two sexes,” though neither reference drag specifically.
The Texas A&M Board of Regents voted to ban drag shows on its campus on Feb. 28, according to an article from The Battalion. Following the ban, the Texas A&M Queer Empowerment Council retained legal counsel from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression and filed a lawsuit against the Board of Regents on March 24.
The court granted a preliminary injunction – which preserves the status quo until a final judgment can be made – that barred the board from enforcing its ban, allowing the QEC to hold its annual “Draggieland” on campus on March 27.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents announced on March 18 that UT will no longer be permitted to fund or host drag shows on campus, according to an article from The Daily Texan.
“All activities at UT institutions are expected to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and executive orders, including any restrictions on the use of public funds,” Board Chairman Kevin Eltife said in a statement. “Our public university facilities, supported by taxpayers, will not serve as venues for drag shows.”
The ban followed a letter Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare sent to UT Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife urging him to ban drag shows on UT System campuses. In the letter, O’Hare cites President Trump’s Executive Order and Gov. Greg Abbott’s letter urging compliance as reasons for his request.
“Rather than promoting anything to do with education, drag shows and related events denigrate women,” O’Hare said in the letter. “Drag shows highlight men reducing the perception of women to stereotypes and body parts. I would be encouraged to see the UT System focus on fostering environments of learning and not use resources to prop up sexually-oriented events.”
The most recent pause on drag performances mirrors last year’s cancellation of the University Program Council’s Drag Show because of governmental scrutiny.
Last May, the UPC Drag Show and University Libraries’ Campus Pride Week were canceled by the UNT System’s Office of General Counsel due to Senate Bill 17.
SB 17, signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2023, prohibits Texas public institutions of higher education from undertaking diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and from requiring employees to participate in DEI training or make DEI statements.
GLAD, being a student organization and therefore exempt from SB17, took over the show’s planning and hosted the event in the University Union.
The university’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America posted about the recently announced pause on drag on its Instagram page after being made aware of the directive by King.
“THIS IS BLATANT FACISM,” YDSA said in a post on Instagram.“UNT CONTINUES TO PRIORITIZE GOVERNMENT FUNDING OVER THE RIGHTS OF THEIR STUDENTS.”
YDSA said in a direct message to the Daily that they “absolutely condemn” the university’s decision.
“The UNT administration’s capitulation to the Abbott and Trump administrations show they do not care about the wellbeing of their students, and the principles of their university,” YDSA said.“Drag will always exist, no matter what legislator or administrator has to say about it.”
The Daily reached out to the university communications team but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Trinidad and Tobago has reinstated its ban on homosexuality, which was lifted by the Caribbean nation’s High Court in 2018.
That year, the High Court in the Christian-majority nation ruled in a lawsuit brought by LGBTQ+ activist Jason Jones that Sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offenses Act are “irrational and illegal” because they violate the rights to privacy and freedom of expression.
“What I think the judge pointed out was ‘here every creed and race find an equal place,’ and I think we must all come together now and embrace each other in true love and respect,” Jones said at the time.
But on March 25, the Court of Appeals reversed that decision, saying that only Parliament can overturn the country’s ban on homosexuality. The Court of Appeals also reduced the maximum sentence associated with homosexuality to five years in prison. Prior to 2018, the maximum penalty was 25 years in prison.
“Judges cannot change the law,” Tuesday’s ruling states. “We give effect to Parliament’s intention…. It is, therefore, left to Parliament to repeal the criminalization of buggery and the related offense of gross indecency by legislation. It is an emotive issue which engages vibrant discussion in the court of public opinion.”
“Parliament is ultimately responsible for ensuring that laws reflect the evolving standards of a democratic society. That is their role and function. Any provisions found to be unconstitutional must be taken from the statute books by Parliament through legislative reform and not by judicial overreach.”
Jones spoke out against the Court of Appeals decision.
“We are talking about the rights of some 100,000 LGBTQIA+ citizens in [Trinidad and Tobago],” he told Trinidad and Tobago Newsday. “Why are we spending all this money and retaining these laws?”
“The modernization of our democracy is at stake here, and this is the beginning of this modernization.”
In the original 2018 case, religious conservatives argued that God’s wrath would be visited on Trinidad and Tobago if the anti-homosexuality laws were overturned. Conservatives argued that legalizing homosexuality would violate their religious beliefs.
The judge said the ruling “is not an assessment or denial of the religious beliefs of anyone.”
Christian conservatives also told the press that they’re worried about “homosexual rights trumping heterosexual rights.”
Utah became the first state to prohibit flying LGBTQ+ pride flags at schools and all government buildings after the Republican governor announced he was allowing a ban on unsanctioned flag displays to become law without his signature.
Gov. Spencer Cox, who made the announcement late Thursday night, said he continues to have serious concerns with the policy but chose not to reject it because his veto would likely be overridden by the Republican-controlled Legislature.
Starting May 7, state or local government buildings will be fined $500 a day for flying any flag other than the United States flag, the Utah state flag, military flags or a short list of others approved by lawmakers. Political flags supporting a certain candidate or party, such as President Donald Trump’s signature “Make America Great Again” flags, are not allowed.
The ban also prohibits teachers from hanging any restricted flag in their classroom.
The new law could stoke conflict between the state and its largest city. City buildings in liberal Salt Lake City typically honor Pride Month each June by displaying flags that celebrate its large LGBTQ+ population. Local leaders have illuminated the Salt Lake City and County Building in rainbow lights to protest the flag ban each night since the Legislature sent it to Cox’s desk.
Andrew Wittenberg, a spokesperson for Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s office, said their attorneys are evaluating the law and the capital city does not yet have information on what it will do once the law takes effect.
The bill’s Republican sponsors, Rep. Trevor Lee and Sen. Dan McCay, said it’s meant to encourage “political neutrality” from teachers and other government employees. Opponents argued it aims to erase LGBTQ+ expression and take authority away from cities and towns that don’t align politically with the Republican Legislature.
In a letter to legislative leaders explaining his decision, Cox said he agreed with the “underlying intent” of the bill to make classrooms politically neutral but thought it went too far in regulating local governments. He also noted that by focusing narrowly on flags, the law does not prevent other political displays such as posters or lighting.
“To our LGBTQ community, I know that recent legislation has been difficult,” Cox said. “Politics can be a bit of a blood sport at times and I know we’ve had our disagreements. I want you to know that I love and appreciate you and I am grateful that you are part of our state. I know these words may ring hollow to many of you, but please know that I mean them sincerely.”
Cox’s decision came hours after the Sundance Film Festival announced it was leaving its home of four decades in Park City, Utah, for Boulder, Colorado. The flag bill created eleventh-hour tensions as some residents worried it would push the nation’s premier independent film festival out of state. Festival leaders said state politics ultimately did not influence their move from conservative Utah to liberal Colorado. They did, however. make “ethos and equity values” one of their criteria in a nationwide search for a new home and referred to Boulder in their announcement as a “welcoming environment.”
Utah’s flag law goes further than one signed last week in Idaho that only applies to schools. But Idaho Republicans are also advancing a separate bill to ban government buildings from displaying certain flags.
Florida lawmakers have advanced a proposal to ban pride flags and others that represent political viewpoints in schools and public buildings after similar measures failed in the past two legislative sessions. Some federal agencies, including the Department of Veterans Affairs, also have limited which flags can fly at their facilities.
Other flags permitted under the Utah law include Olympic and Paralympic flags, official college or university flags, tribal flags and historic versions of other approved flags that might be used for educational purposes.
Italy’s government tightened its citizenship laws on Friday, preventing people from delving deep back into their family history to try to claim a much sought-after Italian passport.
Under existing rules, anyone who can prove they had an Italian ancestor who was alive after March 17, 1861, when the Kingdom of Italy was created, can seek citizenship.
However, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the system was being abused, with would-be Italians swamping consulates abroad for requests for passports, which provide visa-free entry to more countries than almost any other nationality.
As a result, in future only individuals with at least one parent or grandparent born in Italy, a European Union member state, will automatically qualify for citizenship by descent.
“Being an Italian citizen is a serious thing. It’s not a game to get a passport that allows you to go shopping in Miami,” Tajani told a press conference.
The foreign ministry said there had been a surge in people abroad being granted citizenship, particularly in South America, where millions of Italians emigrated in the 19th and 20th centuries, often to escape grinding poverty back home.
Between 2014 and 2024, the number of Italians living abroad rose by 40%, from 4.6 million to 6.4 million, many registering thanks to their newfound nationality. In Argentina alone, citizenship recognitions jumped to 30,000 in 2024 from 20,000 in 2023, while Brazil saw a rise to 20,000 from 14,000.
Tajani said companies were making a fortune by helping people track down their long-forgotten ancestors and seek birth certificates needed for applications – clogging up municipal offices with their demands for documentation.
“We are striking down very hard against those who want to make money from the opportunity of becoming an Italian citizen,” Tajani said, adding that in future, nationality requests would be handled directly in Rome to free up overburdened consulates.
Italy has a population of around 59 million, which has been shrinking for the past decade. The foreign ministry has estimated that under the old rules, 60 to 80 million people worldwide were eligible for citizenship.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has previously suggested that Italy could overcome its demographic decline by seeking Christians of Italian ancestry from nations like Venezuela.
Critics of ancestry-based citizenship say it is grossly unfair, offering nationality to people who had no meaningful connection with Italy.
By contrast, the children of migrants born and raised in Italy who speak Italian fluently, have to wait until they are 18 before being able to apply for a passport.
More than three-quarters of scientists in the U.S are weighing leaving the country and are looking at Europe and Canada as their top relocation spots, according to a survey released Thursday.
The scientific journal Nature poll found that 75.3 percent of scientists are considering leaving the U.S. after the administration cut funding for research. Nearly a quarter of respondents, 24.7 percent, disagreed.
The highest contingent of researchers who are looking to move out of the country were those who are early in their careers. Nearly 550, out of 690 who responded to the survey, said they are considering leaving the U.S. Out of the 340 Ph.D. students, 255 shared the same inclination, the poll found.
The administration, along with tech billionaire and close Trump adviser Elon Musk, with the help of the Department of Government Efficiency, has terminated entire agencies and made cuts in the last two months in an effort to shrink the size and scope of the federal government.
Some of those reductions were felt at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where all grants for equity issues, which encompass studying Black maternal health and HIV, were canceled. The cap on indirect costs of NIH grants was capped at 15 percent.
The NIH was also ordered recently to halt efforts to terminate the funding for grants intended for hospitals, universities and other institutions by a federal judge after numerous lawsuits.
Former Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said she was concerned about the recent cuts to grants flowing through the NIH.
“I’m worried on a lot of fronts,” Sebelius said Wednesday. “The kinds of cuts that were just announced are devastating and will set science back and set research back.”
These cuts have also affected the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which has been hit with layoffs.
More than three-quarters of Americans, 76 percent, said they have a great or fair amount of confidence in scientists to do what is best for the public, according to a Pew Research Center survey that was published in mid-November last year. The figure was a minor uptick from October 2023, when 73 percent of respondents said the same.
Around 1,650 people responded to Nature’s survey. The margin of error and the dates the survey was conducted were not available to The Hill.
The first nine residents of Mary’s House For Older Adults, D.C.’s first LGBTQ home for seniors, are expected to move into the newly built group home within the next week or two, according to Mary’s House founder and CEO Imani Woody.
Located at 401 Anacostia Rd., S.E. in the city’s Fort Dupont neighborhood, a write-up on its website says the house includes 15 single-occupancy residential units and more than 5,000 square feet of shared communal living space.
Woody said construction of the three-story house was completed in January and leases have been obtained by the first nine of the 15 residents, with the remaining six still available for interested seniors. She points out that Mary’s House, which is a nonprofit operation, is not an assisted living facility.
A large sign hanging near the top of the front wall of the Mary’s House building says, “Now Leasing! Single Bedroom Communal Living—LGBTQ+ Affirming Housing for Adults 62+”
The sign also includes the Mary’s House phone number and website address that Woody said interested seniors or those who may know a senior who would be interested should use to contact the LGBTQ supportive seniors residence.
Woody said each of the individual units or suites includes a sleeping area, living room, bathroom, and kitchenette with a sink, microwave, and refrigerator but no stove. According to the Mary’s House website, the shared communal areas of the house include a “fully equipped kitchen, separate dining area and living room.”
It says the communal area also includes a computer room, arts and crafts room, an exercise room, laundry facilities, community meeting space for gatherings, a “tranquil quiet room for relaxation,” and an outdoor terrace with seating.
Woody said the monthly rent for Mary’s House residents, depending on their income, is currently set at $812 or $886.
“Our mission extends beyond providing housing,” a statement on the Mary’s House website says. “We strive to build welcoming communities that address affordability, accessibility, and the unique needs of LGBTQ/SGL [Same Gender Loving] older adults.”
The statement adds, “Through health and wellness programs, connections to community services, and advocacy efforts, Mary’s House for Older Adults endeavors to ensure that all elders, regardless of identity, can enjoy fulfilling and secure lives in their golden years.”
Woody said a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening, to be led by D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is planned for early May, with a specific date to be announced soon.
Further information about Mary’s House, including a lease application, can be obtained at MarysHouseDC.org or at 240-972-2500.
The University of Michigan is immediately shutting down two offices and an effort dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion, and shifting the resources to other student programs, university officials said Thursday, after the Trump administration had threatened to cut off funding.
The email announcement by top UM officials, including President Santa Ono, said UM is closing its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion as well as discontinuing its DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan. The moves came as the university has taken other actions, such as ending diversity statements in faculty hiring, in a bid to stop “litmus tests” that restrict the diversity of thought.
It is unclear how many people are employed at UM in DEI work, but the conservative Heritage Foundation ranked UM in 2021 as having the most DEI staff members in the nation, with 163 employees. The regents told The Detroit News the number has since grown, but they are not sure by how much.
A report in 2024 by the New York Times on UM’s DEI initiatives estimated them to cost $250 million. UM Chief Diversity Officer Tabbye Chavous later said the New York Times story was “filled with misinformation, disinformation and, sadly, sexism.”
UM officials said Thursday they will shift the DEI resources to programs for students, “such as financial aid, mental health resources, pre-professional counseling and other efforts that strengthen community, promote a sense of belonging and expand accessibility.”
“These decisions have not been made lightly. We recognize the changes are significant and will be challenging for many of us, especially those whose lives and careers have been enriched by and dedicated to programs that are now pivoting,” said the message, which also was signed by Laurie McCauley, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs; Marschall Runge, executive vice president for medical affairs; and Geoffrey Chatas, executive vice president and chief financial officer.
“We are deeply grateful for the meaningful contributions of leaders, faculty and staff who have advanced our ongoing efforts to create an ever-moreinclusive and respectful community.”
But Robert Sellers, the James S. Jackson distinguished professor of psychology and an education professor at the University of Michigan, said he was extremely disappointed, angry and bewildered at the university’s decision.
“The university has framed diversity, equity and inclusion as a core set of values that resulted in many, many, many efforts that have been successful at the university to make it more welcoming,” Sellers said Thursday. “Every particular measure of importance the university has increased as its diversity increased.”
On X, UM Regent Sarah Hubbard posted a tweet announcing the change as she noted that the regents ended the use of diversity statements in faculty hiring, which is “now expanded university wide and statements related to a person’s identity or commitment to DEI will no longer be solicited or considered in admissions, hiring, promotion, awards or reviews for faculty and staff.” Hubbard supported the move as a way to promote ideological diversity on campus.
“We are eliminating bureaucratic overspending and making Michigan more accessible,” the Republican regent said. “I will continue to push for even greater financial support for talented students with financial need.”
Derek Peterson, a UM history professor and member of the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs, called the decisions “a pretty dramatic policy change put through without any attempt to engage faculty government.”
“It’s a capitulation, an embarrassment, a departure from our mission as a university,” Peterson said. “It turns the university’s back on what we thought were core values of this institution in the name of expediency.”
UM’s moves followed a mid-February Trump administration order giving Michigan schools and universities until the end of the month to dump diversity initiatives or risk losing federal money.
In a memo to educational institutions, the U.S. Education Department gave an ultimatum to stop using “racial preferences” as a factor in admissions, financial aid, hiring or other areas. Schools were given 14 days to end any practice that treats students or workers differently because of their race or lose their eligibility for federal money.
The Chronicle of Higher Education reported it has since tracked DEI changes at 270 college campuses in 38 states.
Among them are Ohio State University, which is closing its Office of Diversity and Inclusion and canceling some of its services. The University of Southern California, meanwhile, has announced plans to dissolve its university-wide Office of Inclusion and Diversity, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Other schools have said they will remain committed to building diversityon campus, while still nodding to the Trump administration’s push to dismantle DEI efforts.
Northeastern University’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has changed its name to “Belonging in Northeastern.”
Some institutions are distancing themselves from the PhD Project, an organization that helps Black and Latino students pursue business degrees. The U.S. Education Department cited the nonprofit when it announced March 14 it was investigating dozens of universities, including UM, for alleged racial discrimination.
The University of Kentucky, the University of Wyoming and Arizona State University all said they were discontinuing support for the PhD Project.
Student: ‘My heart is broken’
The move in the progressive Ann Arbor community Thursday sparked a backlash. Some students, such as junior Pragya Choudhary, said they feel betrayed by the university.
“How do you say you’re removing the office of DEI, but pledging to continue all of these things as if that’s not what the office of DEI was there for?” said Choudhary, who was in class when he heard the news. “How are you going to say that ‘Oh, we’ll still have these cultural events,’ when clearly we’re not going to, because you’re getting rid of the office that would help us put those events on?”
Choudhary chose to attend UM because the university celebrated diversity and he had hoped this would continue. In his first address to the university community in 2022, Ono pledged his commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts, promising to invest in and develop staff.
“This is, it’s flying in the face of every value I held this university to. My heart is broken,” Choudhary said.
The UM’s Thursday email acknowledged progress since the launch of the university’s DEI strategic plan in 2016. First-generation undergraduate students have increased 46%, while undergraduate Pell recipients rose more than 32%, driven in part by programs such as the Go Blue Guarantee free tuition program and Wolverine Pathways, a free college readiness course offered by seventh through 12th graders in poorer areas such as Detroit and Ypsilanti, according to UM officials.
“Over the course of our strategic efforts, we have heard strong pride in the university’s support for student-facing programs,” the UM message said. “We have also heard concerns about the balance of resources between administration and direct student support. Some in our campus community have voiced frustration that they did not feel included in DEI initiatives and that the programming fell short in fostering connections among diverse groups.”
University web pages will be evaluated for compliance with federal executive orders and guidance, the Thursday release said, and theuniversity’s general counsel will start an “expedited review” to make sure policies, programs and practices comply with federal law.
UM professor Sellers said he found it particularly disappointing that the university insinuated that DEI programs were not as successful as the data shows.
“If they choose to run and hide from DEI, at least have the courage to say they’re running and hiding from DEI,” Sellers said.
The decision to disband DEI efforts will affect the university’s ability to serve the broader state of Michigan, he said.
“This is how we like to refer to ourselves as ‘leaders and best,’ when, in fact, we are not leading and we are definitely not the best,” Sellers said.
Where savings will go
Savings from the shuttering of the two DEI offices will be used for the Go Blue Guarantee and go to families with incomes of $125,000 or less as well as to expand efforts like the Blavin Scholars Program, which helps undergraduate students who have experienced foster care or kinship care, according to the UM release.
The university will also maintain multicultural student spaces and residence halls like the Trotter Multicultural Center and the Spectrum Center for gender and sexuality resources.
Another initiative is to explore ways to help student achievement through “improved advising, counseling and pre-professional guidance, as well as continue investing in innovative approaches, such as 24/7 AI tutors and a personal AI assistant for every member of the community,” the university said.
Hubbard emphasized that there are benefits to ending the DEI offices and moving the money elsewhere.
“Ending DEI programs will also allow us to better expand diversity of thought and free speech on our campus,” the regent said. “The end of litmus test hiring and curtailment of speech stops now. People from all walks of life, representing a variety of ideologies, will be welcome at Michigan.
Among the moves was the UM board’s decision in October to adopt an institutional neutrality policy that prohibits university officials from taking a stance on political or social issues unless they are related to the internal governance of the university. Critics disagreed, saying university policy-making requires leaders to take stances on issues.
“As we move forward with creation of the Institute on Civil Discourse, I look forward to hosting a variety of perspectives on campus,” Hubbard said. “Today’s announcement follows a number of policy and process changes that are making our campus safer and stronger as a place of learning and academic excellence. I’m honored to be a leader at this amazing institution.”
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