By james art 
A Wyoming House committee advanced account Wednesday bans all government mandates and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) instruction in Wyoming schools.
State Rep. Rachel Rodriguez-Williams, R-Cody, is the bill’s sponsor.
There are a number of states that have enacted rules against DEI, and Rodriguez-Williams believes that will continue at the federal level under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
“This bill restores our state government to the color-blind approach that the Constitution intended, that morality dictates, and that our national unity requires,” Rodriguez-Williams said.
The House Education Committee unanimously advanced the legislation Wednesday afternoon.
Infringes on free speech?
Rep. Tom Kelly, R-Sheridan, a college professor, asked Rodriguez-Williams if her bill would prevent classroom discussions on the topic of institutional racism or simply prohibit the promotion of the concept.
He said he wouldn’t want the state telling him what he can and can’t say in his classroom.
Brian Farmer, executive director of the Wyoming School Boards Association, took a similar tone, warning that the bill’s original language could limit any classroom discussion of racially charged lawsuits like Brown v. Board of Education and or any other case in The Supreme Court.
“If I’m a teacher and I’m teaching these concepts … can we have the conversation or does that prohibit the conversation?” he asks. “As written, the bill could have some unintended consequences.”
Rodriguez-Williams said the bill is limited to government mandates for DEIs.
“Obviously, we don’t want to ban anyone’s free speech,” she said.
An amendment was made to the bill clarifying this point.
Nathan Winters, president of the Wyoming Family Alliance, said he appreciates the fact that the bill specifically defines all the topics that involve DEI.
What is he doing?
Under the bill, no state-funded institution, including the University of Wyoming, any community college or public school, may say:
• That every race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.
• That a person should be discriminated against or treated unfavorably because of his race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin.
• That a person’s moral character is determined by their race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.
• That because of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin, they are inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously.
• That by virtue of a person’s race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, that person is inherently responsible for acts committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, religion, sex, ethnic affiliation or national origin.
• This error, accusation, or bias must be attributed to members of a race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin based on race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.
• That any person must accept, acknowledge, affirm, or agree with a sense of guilt, complicity, or need to apologize based on the person’s race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.
• That meritocracy or certain traits, including a hard work ethic, are racist or sexist.
It also states that no entity shall:
• Participate in any diversity, equity or inclusion program, activity or policy.
• Engage in institutional discrimination.
• Requiring instructions encouraging any institutional discrimination.
• Require any student, employee or contractor to attend or participate in a diversity, equity or inclusion program or training or in any institutional discrimination program or training.
“Cooling Effect”
The bill, as amended by the committee, also clarifies that nothing in the bill should prohibit any classroom discussions on historical topics or prohibit students from expressing their opinions about those events.
Rep. Tommy Strock, R-Douglas, clarified that the bill is about what the government can and can’t do, not students.
“Instead of ascribing a specific characteristic to any entity in history that we might be talking about, it’s going to be more about the facts of the matter,” said Congressman Daniel Singh, R-Cheyenne.
Tate Mullen, director of government relations for the Wyoming Education Association, also warned that the bill could have a “chilling effect” given that its implementation could vary from school to school and even program to program and lead to misunderstandings about what it actually prohibits.
He also said it potentially disproportionately affects civics, history and social studies programs.
“If we have that chilling effect, we’re not providing a modern education that prepares our students for the jobs of today and tomorrow,” he said.
Patricia McCoy, president of the Cheyenne chapter of Moms For Liberty, said the bill has nothing to do with not teaching history and is about teaching through a certain ideological perspective. She believes that DEI divides children and makes them notice more about the color of their skin than who they could potentially become.
“You can teach the history of slavery without saying it was the result of white supremacy,” she said. “It wasn’t just white supremacy. You can do without making people aggressors or oppressors in certain situations and have these conversations without pushing certain ideologies.
Sundance resident Sherry Davis agreed, saying DEI goes against America’s promise of equality.
“Who are we today? Let’s end this divisive education,” Davis said.
Sarah Burlingame, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy organization Wyoming Equality, said there should be no sensitivity when discussing difficult topics in Wyoming schools. She described the bill as an “anvil” to crush free speech in the classroom just to make certain people feel comfortable.
“This is a bill that would specifically eliminate that,” Burlingame said. “I urge you to cowboy up and defeat this bill.”
The University of Wyoming has struggled with free speech issues in the past and in 2023 created a working group to develop new free speech policies for the school.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at [email protected].