As reported over at Florida Politics, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has recently appointed six people to the New College of Florida Board of Trustees in an effort to whittle down support for diversity and inclusion in public higher education. Christopher Rufo is one of the big (and infamous) names in Critical Race Theory (CRT) hysteria, and wouldn’t you believe it, he’s now an appointee, thanks to DeSantis. Other appointees include professors Mark Bauerlein and Charles Kesler, as well as attorney Debra Jenks, and Jason Speir, who co-founded the Inspiration Academy, a private Christian school in the state.
In a statement, Press Secretary Bryan Griffin said of the recent additions: “Starting today, the ship is turning around. New College of Florida, under the Governor’s new appointees, will be refocused on its founding mission of providing a world-class quality education with an exceptional focus on the classics.”
Here’s Rufo’s tweet:
Relatedly, the DeSantis administration is now calling upon state colleges and universities in Florida to report their spending on diversity and inclusion efforts and efforts related to CRT. This includes disclosing campus activities and staff programs related to these topics.
The anti-CRT battle, anti-abortion movement, and anti-trans and anti-queer movements are all aligned. Republicans are using all of these exclusionary, discriminatory efforts to center white, cisgender, heterosexual, and conservative people—including in public spaces, public libraries, public schools, and even down to bathroom use. Republicans are throwing hate at the wall to see what sticks, and unfortunately, it’s not slowing down.
Especially so because, as we all know, Republicans love to try and copy and paste what they see as success. We can look at Florida and Oklahoma as examples here. DeSantis signs a Don’t Say Gay bill into law, and Oklahoma Republicans introduce legislation to try and follow suit. The states seem to be in an unofficial battle to see who can get the most books banned from libraries ad classrooms. And healthcare. Oh, healthcare.
Florida has already banned gender-affirming healthcare for new patients who are trans or nonbinary youth, in spite of all major medical associations opposing such restrictive and discriminatory bans. And it seems Oklahoma Republicans have said, “Hold my beer,” and as of Wednesday, Jan. 4, introduced something that’s somehow even eviler.
As covered over at Vanity Fair, Republican lawmaker David Bullard introduced OK SB 129 (called the Millstone Act of 2023, which, yes, is a Biblical reference because of course it is) would make it a felony for health care providers to recommend (much less administer) gender-affirming care for people under the age of 26. This includes not only gender-affirming surgeries, but also hormonal therapies and puberty blockers. It also bars Medicaid from covering gender-related care.
And no, that’s not a typo. It’s not 16. It’s 26.
As is the case with so many of these bills, this isn’t even the first time Bullard has pushed anti-trans legislation. For example, in 2022, he authored an Oklahoma state law to bar trans youth from using locker rooms and bathrooms that align with their gender identity. While the ACLU has already filed a lawsuit on behalf of several students, it’s clear conservatives are going to keep pushing and pushing until they find which brand of hate clicks.
Republicans are truly, truly, truly racing to the bottom, and it’s ugly. It’s sick. It’s sad. And every single trans person in this country deserves better. No one should be forced to stop their safe, age-appropriate medical care—that major medical associations support and approve of—because of hateful lawmakers. Queer folks already report higher levels of mental health issues like anxiety and depression; gender-affirming care can be lifesaving care. It’s not optional or extra. It’s necessary.
