State senate votes to defund U of Wyoming DEI office, Gender Studies program

On Feb. 21, the Wyoming Senate voted to defund the Gender Studies program and the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the University of Wyoming.

Amendment 14 to defund the DEI office reportedly passed 18–13 after around 45 minutes of debate, while Amendment 13 to defund the Gender Studies program passed 20–11.

[RELATED: Anti-DEI bill to end mandated ‘divisive concepts’ passes KY Senate]

As noted by the Cowboy State Daily, $1.7 million would be removed from publicly funding the DEI office.

“I don’t think it’s right for the university to take sides on this issue and fund more of an ideology than a program,” State Senator Cheri Steinmetz, who introduced both amendments, said.

“I think we have a real opportunity to set University of Wyoming apart as a grassroots, traditional-value university,” State Senator Bob Ide recently said.

State Senator Charles Scott, who supported both amendments, spoke out against the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

“This kind of program was the principal agent of introducing that rot, introducing a faculty that is without diversity of opinion, that is a monolith of wokeness,” he said, according to the Cowboy State Daily. “We’re seeing this rot affect the University of Wyoming.”

Created in 2017, the university’s DEI office has various goals, including developing “a community of scholars to promote research opportunities in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

According to its website, the University of Wyoming offers a “Gender and Women’s Studies” program that includes “a dynamic and inclusive academic experience, exploring the multifaceted aspects of gender, sexuality and social justice.”

“A minor or degree in Gender & Women’s Studies or Queer Studies will arm you with critical thinking and applied skills that will enable you to succeed in diverse, 21st century work forces and communities,” the description continues.

The program overview also states that enrolled students will be equipped to “[a]nalyze socio-historical and contemporary power dynamics,” “[a]rticulate the history, strategies, and goals of interconnected movements for social justice,” and “[p]erform and develop intersectional, interdisciplinary feminist and queer analysis.”

[RELATED: New Idaho bill would curb DEI in higher ed, ban ‘political loyalty tests’]

Learning objectives for the program include applying “theoretical frameworks” of areas like “queer studies” and “sexuality studies,” utilizing “decolonial” and “indigenous” perspectives, and connecting “critical race and ethnic studies approaches to place, environments, and the land.”

Campus Reform has contacted the University of Wyoming and its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.