In a broad move that also restricts discussions of race in the classroom, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill on Monday limiting the use of public monies for diversity, equality, and inclusion initiatives (DEI) in state universities.

The governor and other conservative opponents have claimed that DEI initiatives encourage left-wing politics and create racial tensions on campuses, despite the fact that they are designed to help foster racial, socioeconomic, and religious diversity among university professors and students. The new legislation is another front in the Republican fight against an ideology that many conservatives feel the left is seeking to impose on American public education, and it essentially mirrors the legislative platform DeSantis unveiled in January.

In order to prevent programs that “distort significant historical events” or promote “identity politics,” the governor stated, the legislation regulates how gender and race are taught on campuses and mandates that such teachings be approved by university trustees. Many higher education professionals and activists of free speech are opposed to the measure, which they have dubbed an assault on academic freedom.

The bill signing was met with loud protests from student demonstrators on the campus of New College of Florida in Sarasota, a historically liberal university where the governor just installed a conservative-leaning board of trustees. DeSantis advised kids interested in studying diverse disciplines to go into institutions outside of the state. – Steve Sijenyi