..... In addition to state agencies, Harrison has been particularly concerned with how universities are “promoting DEI.” He filed House Bill 2339, which would prohibit universities from offering courses or programs in DEI or LGBTQ+ studies, and House Bill 2311, which would remove the language protecting curricula and research from a prior law prohibiting DEI offices and practices at Texas public universities.
“The people do not want their money to be used by the government to fund things like DEI and liberal gender ideology,” Harrison said. “Our public universities are for education, not for indoctrination, and unfortunately, that’s not the case right now.”
He’s targeted his ire at the state’s two flagship universities, Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin. He’s accused A&M of flouting anti-DEI mandates and even referred his alma mater to the Trump admin. This has drawn rebuke from A&M’s president, who accused Harrison of spreading blatant falsehoods. “Your posts are routinely inaccurate and misleading,” President Mark A. Welsh III wrote in a February letter. “I won’t stand by when I see inaccuracies about our institution spreading quickly.”
Harrison said his crusade against gender and ethnic studies isn’t a social issue, but rather a fiscal one: “Over my dead body are you going to rob my constituents blind to pay for [LGBTQ+ studies],” Harrison said.
At UT, the state pays for about 10 percent of the full budget; the LGBTQ+ studies program’s $59,566 budget comprises less than 0.01 percent of the total operating budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. By comparison, UT’s conservative Civitas Institute, which was created under Lieutenant Governor Patrick’s direction, is nearly 200 times larger.
Though gender and ethnic studies make up a seemingly small percentage of taxpayer dollars, Harrison said any amount of money going towards these programs is a problem. “If the University of Texas doesn’t cut this crap out, they don’t need a single penny more from my already over-taxed constituents,” Harrison said.
In late March, Harris ventured from the Capitol grounds to the UT campus to go “undercover” at a “ transgender conference.” The conference in.....
texasobserver.org |
