Students, faculty and staff at public universities in Texas have considered leaving the state following state legislation targeting the LGBTQIA+ community, asserts a new survey from Equality Texas.
The statewide political advocacy organization interviewed 44 LGBTQIA+ students, faculty and staff across 19 Texas schools in 2024 to understand the ramifications of SB17. Passed last January, the bill prohibits public institutions from running an office or hiring staff dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
The majority of survey respondents said they have been “negatively impacted” by SB17. Students reported increased anti-LGBTQIA+ hate on campus-centric social media and at in-person events. Faculty and staff have noticed declining public support for LGBTQIA+ issues since the bill was enacted.
Both groups emphasized how the bill has increased campus hostility and upended crucial campus resources, including free healthcare products, support for LGBTQIA+ student organizations and crisis funds intended to support LGBTQIA+ students.
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As a result, 78% of students have considered leaving Texas. All faculty and staff surveyed at public universities in major cities have considered leaving Texas or their institution.
“As the anti-DEI conversation escalates at the local, state and national level, it is essential that Texans fight back against legislation like this and continue to advocate for policies and programs that support Texas’s marginalized communities,” the report read.
Anti-DEI, LGBTQIA+ bills nationwide
Momentum for anti-DEI, LGBTQIA+ mandates on the federal and state levels is gaining momentum following recent success by legislatures in Texas and Florida. Several prominent institutions across Ohio and Kentucky have closed their DEI initiatives following recent bills passed by their states’ legislatures in the past two weeks, WVXU News reports.
In a recent “Dear Colleague” letter, the Trump administration commanded public institutions to cancel DEI-related programming or risk losing federal funding. The University of Kentucky, which canceled its DEI-related office last August, is among the 50 institutions under federal investigation for potential “race-based violations” in their admissions processes.
The Williams Institute, a think tank based out of UCLA’s School of Law, has found students and faculty in states with DEI bans and who experience discrimination are more likely to consider leaving their state, leaving academia or disengaging from the classroom.
