Upcoming Utah legislative session means another round of attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Hits & Misses
By Katharine Biele @kathybiele
White Back At You
Rep. Trevor Lee can't wait to get rid of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Never underestimate the power of hate, fear and fragile egos. Although a 2023 bill restricting DEI didn't pass, here comes 2024 and a legislative session to try again. Lee, a Layton Republican, is spreading the word on X-Twitter, reposting a screed from when the 2023 bill was introduced to "ban diversity statements, which function as loyalty oaths to left-wing racialist ideology." Lee says the Supreme Court agrees because, apparently, there is no more inequality in the nation. And arguing about test scores, Lee says the two-parent family is the best indicator of good grades—now if we could just force people to marry and stay married. There were, of course, commenters who hailed an end to DEI. There were many who suggested he "misses segregation" and who understand that DEI "makes white people feel bad."
To Speach Their Own
Now on to another higher education issue—free speech. Actually, we're talking about free dialogue, the give-and-take students get when they engage in debate on controversial issues. It's something the governor is struggling to clarify. While there have been violent exchanges on some college campuses since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Utah has yet to see anything quite like that. Students recently were criminally charged after disrupting an event by an anti-transgender group. But Utah Gov. Spencer Cox seems focused on college presidents and policies, which he says must be neutral. He didn't mention the transgender issue but did call out abortion and the Israel-Hamas war. "Surveys traditionally show that the American people have strong support for free speech in general, but that number decreases when the poll focuses on particular forms of controversial speech," the American Bar Association writes. The lines of free speech are still being drawn on Utah campuses.
Bundle Up
Baby, it's cold outside. And therefore—Code Blue. The Utah Department of Health came to the shocking realization that unhoused people are going to freeze to death pretty soon, as temperatures fall below 15 degrees. The "Code Blue" alerts, according to Gephardt Daily, started for the first time in November and allow homeless shelters to increase capacity and expedite intake procedures, and it allows private organizations to provide temporary shelter, among other new provisions. And here is the practice that was highlighted in the Rocky Anderson campaign: "A state or local government entity, including a municipality, law enforcement agency, and local health department may not enforce an ordinance or policy to seize from individuals experiencing homelessness any personal items for survival in cold weather, including clothing, blankets, tents, sleeping bags, heaters, stoves and generators." Now all that's left is for doors to open and housing to finally happen.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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