New Anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Laws in Texas

Beginning January 1, 2024 Texas’ S.B. 21 puts an end to “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”.

This means many of our friends in Texas have lost their jobs or been reassigned to other positions on their respective campuses. Campuses are also struggling to make sure that they comply with the law so they don’t get into trouble.

Is diversity programming dead in Texas colleges?

A notable thing we’ve discovered about the law is that individual clubs on campus can still sponsor events that the “university” cannot sponsor.  According to Inside Higher Ed:  “The law does not affect student organizations, which are allowed to continue holding events and conducting activities based on race, sexual orientation and national identity, even as universities are banned from sponsoring those events.” 

We are unclear whether or not those student organizations can use funds given by the school to host events that provide DEI topics.

Our best bet is that many schools will steer away from the buzzwords of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and shift to words like “community” and “engagement”. The question is, are organizations that may want to sponsor programs still allowed to draw funds from the University itself? We can’t be sure – if you know – please let us know and we’ll append the article.

This excerpt from S.B. 21 is interesting to those of us who provide entertainment to colleges – often as a part of diversity programs in the past – especially (3) and (4):

What are we, at Game Shows To Go/To Go Events, doing about it as guest entertainers? We’re working with YOU to make sure that we can provide the programs you love – while staying within the laws of Texas (and other states – we just happen to live in Texas). Most of our shows are purely for entertainment – but  we’ve done a lot of diversity shows in the past and we hope to continue doing so within the constraints of this new law.

We’re guessing that millions of dollars in time and money have been spent on severance packages, renaming and/or closing offices, changing signage, letterheads, and websites, and uprooting people from their jobs. All while making services to already marginalized communities harder to get. We feel for the budget-strapped schools who have to spend time and money on this instead of providing programs to their students who are diverse and should be included.

Special note (as pointed out in the “Inside Higher Ed” article linked above and here): “Universities are still allowed to hold celebrations for federally recognized months and holidays, including National Hispanic Heritage Month.” We worry that some won’t as they worry about potential backlash under S.B. 21.

All of the above being said – if you need a game show to help teach ANY topic – we’re happy to help you out. We’ve got shows for Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ issues and all major holidays. If you’re in a state that doesn’t have restrictions, or if you’re in Texas and want us to help you with any of these topics and stay within the law – we’re here to help.

This article draws deeply on the linked article at Inside Higher Ed. I highly recommend reading it for S.B. 21 info beyond how it applies to programming.

Also worth reading is this article from Ogletree Deakins a Texas Law firm.

Your comments are welcomed below – as long as they move the conversation forward. All comments are moderated. Hate and Spam are not tolerated. You can also e-mail me your comments at cj@togoevents.com if you have something that would be good to append this article with and how you’re dealing with S.B. 21