On Wednesday, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) signed a comprehensive anti-diversity bill into law. The bill, Senate Bill 129, targets diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) on college campuses and bans transgender people from using the bathroom that matches their gender identity.

“Alabama just passed a bathroom ban for transgender adults in colleges and universities,” transgender activist and journalist Erin Reed said on social media. “It was never about ‘the children,’ and always about absolute exclusion from public life.”

Alabama was already one of seven states that banned transgender people from using bathrooms and facilities consistent with their gender identity in K-12 schools, but Senate Bill 129 puts the state in the running with Utah and Florida as one of the least safe states for transgender people after expanding the bathroom ban to college campuses.

“SB129 also bans “divisive concepts” and ‘DEI’ in colleges. Horrifying bill,” Reed said.

Senate Bill 129 also bars state agencies, local boards of education, and higher education institutions from sponsoring DEI programs, establishing DEI offices, and prohibits staff, student, and faculty groups from organizing DEI events. “Any program, class, training, seminar, or other event where attendance is based on an individual’s race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin, or sexual orientation, or that otherwise violates this act,” the bill says.

Senate Bill 129 also mandates that neither state agencies, local........

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