Greg Abbott signs law banning diversity offices in Texas higher education

Greg Abbott’s office argued that DEI programs ‘push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others’. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP

Texas’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has signed a bill that will ban diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices and initiatives across higher education institutions in the state.

Under SB 17, DEI offices across state colleges will close starting in January 2024 and activities that seek to promote certain groups of individuals over others based on race, ethnicity and gender will also come to an end.