New bill could ban gender studies majors at colleges in Florida

The bill would also propose a ban on studies related to critical race theory, as well as give Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis more power in Florida schools. WikiCommons

A new bill proposes a ban on majors related to gender studies and critical race theory at colleges and universities throughout the state of Florida, advancing on Governor Ron DeSantis’ conservative agenda. The bill was introduced by Rep. Alex Andrade, a Republican that is supporting Pensacola and would mean a change in the public university system. 

The bill would ban colleges from being able to financially support programs that are related to diversity, equity or inclusion (DEI).

If the bill wins support from Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature, the Board of Governors will have the opportunity to remove majors and minors related to gender studies, intersectionality and critical race theory. 

Those who oppose the bill believe that it could be used to ban other activities that support multicultural student unions, such as Black fraternities and sororities.

Ian Barnard, the director of LGBTQ+ studies at Chapman University, told The Panther they are horrified by the bill. 

“These horrors are also harming Florida students’ educations and harming faculty members’ abilities to teach effectively, relevantly and honestly,” Barnard said. 

DeSantis proposed a series of refinements to Florida’s higher education system in January 2023. His series of reforms include efforts to close diversity offices and end diversity programs at universities as well as the lack of consideration of DEI factors when hiring faculty.  

“The prohibition of DEI considerations might mean that a university feels obligated to hire a faculty member who is clueless about DEI issues and is unable to meet the needs of a diverse student population,” Barnard told the Panther.

These new advances are a part of DeSantis’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act from 2022. The Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, will go into effect on June 1 and is aimed at regulating the content that is taught in schools The law stems from a belief that schools in the U.S. have become divided, and cause an unnecessary emphasis on being politically correct. The law would restrict education of the United States’ legacy of racism in the workplace and schools, according to the Student Press Law Center (SPLC). 

Alexa Zuch, a junior computer science major at Chapman who is minoring in LGBTQ+ studies, feels grateful that she is able to pursue her interest in gender studies. However, she feels appalled that this is not an opportunity for everyone in the U.S. 

“I think it’s terrible all that they have done trying to silence the queer community,” Zuch told The Panther. “I don’t see the harm in encouraging kids to discover themselves, and not just in terms of sexuality and gender.” 

Zuch further stated that out of all of the classes she has taken as a student at Chapman, the most insightful has been her Intro to LGBTQ+ studies course because it made her feel more comfortable in what she believes in as well as more socially aware.  

She said that gender studies is more than just learning about the fight for women’s rights and that gender is not binary. 

​​Non-binary is an umbrella term for those who are not exclusively male or female. The term can also have different meanings for different people, with some experiencing neither gender.

“It’s about why the idea of a gender binary exists and why women had to fight for equal rights,” Zuch told the Panther. 

O-Sky Lochmandy, a junior television writing and production major at Chapman, is originally from Florida and has been shocked at what is happening in his home state. 

“This is scary stuff — the idea of banning certain majors is pretty dystopian,” Lochmandy said. “Especially when it comes to identity.”

Lochmandy has always loved his home, yet as of recently, the political environment has become more hostile toward gender identity. 

“My mom doesn’t even want me to come back and visit anymore because of everything that is happening,” Lochmandy told The Panther. 

The bill will also increase the power of the board of trustees at Florida schools by giving them authority to make hiring decisions. Since the board of trustees is chosen by DeSantis, the governor would have more power in colleges and universities.  

“These kinds of attempted bans really make it patently clear that these politicians want education to be a means to shore up the status quo (and) to indoctrinate students into backward ideas and that they don't really believe in academic freedom,” Barnard told The Panther.

DeSantis’s conservative stance on education of diversity programs in schools has given him popularity amongst republican in Florida. DeSantis discussed during a roundtable discussion the belief that diversity programs are exclusive and “do not in any way contribute to learning or knowledge,” DeSantis stated in a staff release. 

DeSantis and his supporters believe that the “woke” movement is a scam that by removing DEI programs and majors they are stopping political indoctrination. 

Critics argue DeSantis’s changes in legislation have come as a threat to the First Amendment and that he has created laws that impose speech codes on college professors, as well as control over websites such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

“They don't really believe that education should be independent from the state, and don't really believe that teachers should do what they're trained to do and what they're most qualified to do,” Barnard said.