Alabama Republican Gov. Kay Ivey has signed a new bill that she says answers a simple question: What is a woman?

The bill from state Rep. Susan DuBose, R-Leeds, and Sen. April Weaver, R-Alabaster, would adjust state law to explicitly define "man," "woman," "boy," "girl," "father," "mother," "male," female" and "sex."

It cleared the legislature in Montgomery on Wednesday.

"If the Good Lord made you a boy, you’re a boy. And if He made you a girl, you’re a girl," Ivey said in a signing statement from the Capitol.

"In Alabama, we believe there are two genders: Male and female. There is nothing complicated or controversial about it."

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"Today, I was proud to officially answer the question "What is a Woman?" with my signature on Senate Bill 79. It did not take a biologist to figure it out."

In comments to Fox News Digital, Ivey said prior to the signing: "In Alabama, it does not take a biologist to answer the question: What is a woman?"

During Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing, the jurist told Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn she could not define the term "woman." "In this context – I’m not a biologist," Brown Jackson said. 

"There are only two genders: Male and female," Ivey told Fox News Digital.

The law would require the government to collect vital statistics to identify a person's sex at birth and "delete obsolete or unnecessary definitions and make nonsubstantive, technical revisions to update the existing code language to current style."

"For purposes of state law, a ‘female’ is an individual whose biological reproductive system is designed to produce ova, and a ‘male’ is an individual whose biological reproductive system is designed to fertilize the ova of a female," a draft of the bill published on a government site read.

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Alabama House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter told Fox News Digital on Thursday the Yellowhammer State is one that "refuses to back down from commonsense conservative values."

"We believe boys should play against boys and girls should play against girls. We believe that men have no business using the girls’ restroom," said Ledbetter, R-Rainsville.

Ledbetter said every human is made in the image of God and their gender is defined by Him.

"I am proud that the House has passed Rep. Susan DuBose’s ‘What Is a Woman Act’ and look forward to Governor Ivey signing it into law," he said.

DuBose told Fox News Digital she is grateful to know that her children and future generations in Alabama will not have to worry about losing opportunities to men:

"I couldn’t be more thrilled to see this bill pass the legislature," DuBose said. 

"Alabamians know what a woman is, and we have fought hard to ensure our laws do too. I am grateful to all my colleagues for their support in finally getting this bill to Governor Ivey’s desk, and I look forward to watching her sign it into law."

The bill does have its opponents, including the ACLU of Alabama.

"We oppose House Bill 405. The ‘What is a Woman’ Act seeks to answer a question that is contextualized by far more than biological gender norms that this bill seeks to codify," a statement from the group read.

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"The bill establishes a stringent assertion of the definition of a man or woman that completely cuts transgender people out of the picture. This bill attempts to place antiquated gender assumptions as a rule of law."

The group added that the legislation will make it more difficult for transgender people to "authentically" live life.

Democrats, including state Reps. Barbara Drummond of Mobile and Napoleon Bracy of Pritchard, also objected to the bill only being slated for 10 minutes of floor debate.

The Blackburn-Jackson incident and ensuing public debate also led conservative commentator Matt Walsh to produce a documentary on the matter called "What is a Woman?"

When the issue first came up in the Jackson hearing, Blackburn said the jurist being unable to give a "straight answer" about "something as fundamental as what a woman is" underscores the dangers of progressive education.

Blackburn suggested that biological male athletes should not be allowed to compete against women.

A member of North Carolina’s largest school district’s board slammed critics of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and said the term is being bandied about by people who are racist in place of the "n-word."

Wake County Schools board member Sam Hershey began his remarks at last week’s meeting in Raleigh by saying that if people are "searching for truth, we’re going to have to wait about four more years for that because, man, I’ve never seen someone lie so much as that person," in an apparent reference to President Donald Trump.

Hershey, who is White, said that in recognition of Black History Month, he wanted to make some remarks about DEI in a meeting video posted to YouTube.

"I really want to highlight, as Dr. Ng mentioned, we're celebrating 250 [years of America] next year that … it’s really important to talk about people being hired based on their skin color. And for 250 years, it has been mediocre White men who have been hired based on their skin color."

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"And those are facts. – I've heard people say DEI is racist. If that's what you believe, you know nothing about diversity, equity, inclusion, and you know nothing about racism. And that speaks to you as a human being."

Speaking about Wake County as a whole, which includes Raleigh as well as Fuquay-Varina and Zebulon, Hershey said DEI ensures kids who need more educational help receive it without lowering standards.

"That's the thing that drives me nuts the most," Hershey said. "That's being real. And I've said this before: People who throw around ‘DEI hire,’ they're just replacing the n-word with ‘DEI hire.’ That's what they want to say. We get it. You guys are all losers."

BALTIMORE SUES TRUMP FOR DITCHING DEI

He referenced the recent helicopter-plane collision above Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Virginia, where some pundits were hypothesizing about the personal identifiers of the pilots involved.

"Should I see a Black pilot or do I think they're a DEI hire? No, that's racism to think that way."

In Wake County Schools, he said, candidates are hired based on their qualifications and that it would be insulting not to do so.

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"We’ve got vacancies, so we're not turning away people because they're White," he said.

A communications official for Wake County Schools told Fox News Digital, "I don't have any information to share with you," when reached on Thursday.

Superintendent Robert Taylor did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and several assistant superintendents, as well as Hershey, did not respond to emailed inquiries whether any reprimand or other action was being considered because of his remarks.

On X, formerly Twitter, Hershey's comments led to criticism, including one user who asked if he had ever listened to speeches from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"What happened to a world where one is not judged by the color of his skin (or other immutable outward characteristics for that matter?). Why should anyone consider skin color in hiring?"

"Sam Hershey has decades of experience in 'white man mediocrity," another user wrote. "Not exactly the best and brightest Wake County has to offer."

Baltimore and its Democratic mayor have teamed up with progressive groups to file a lawsuit aimed at stopping President Donald Trump’s executive orders that dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion "programs and preferencing" as the president described in one of his directives.

Baltimore's Mayor Brandon Scott – along with the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, American Association of University Professors, Restaurant Opportunities Centers United – filed suit in Maryland federal court this week against Trump and several cabinet heads.

Scott did not respond to a request for comment but said in a statement that Trump’s order goes beyond attacking DEI but "aims to establish the legal framework to attack anyone or any place who dares to celebrate our diversity."

"Baltimore citizens risk losing vital federal funding due to this executive order, putting jobs and livelihoods at stake," the mayor added. The city council is also listed as a plaintiff.

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Baltimore, the nation's 30th largest city, is 60% Black, 27% White, 8% Hispanic and 2% Asian, according to the Census Bureau.

Trump’s order seeks to erase roles within the bureaucracy that include diversity officers as well as "equity"-related endeavors.

Paulette Granberry Russell, the CEO of the diversity officers’ association, said in a statement that Trump’s orders will undermine the ability for higher education to open "opportunity, innovation and progress for people across the nation."

"As the nation’s leading association for diversity officers and professionals in higher education, we will use all tools available, including the legal process, to block these harmful orders," Granberry Russell said.

An official for the restaurant industry group said that eateries rely on workers of all ethnic backgrounds and that diversity is what sets the food service sector apart from others.

"President Trump wishes to see the end of all diversity, equity, and inclusion programs of any kind whatsoever – and we will not stand for it," its interim president, Teofilo Reyes, said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the White House disagreed with Baltimore’s assertions.

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"Minorities in America have recognized the Democrat Party’s empty promises and failed policies. That’s why President Trump earned historic support from Black, Latino, Asian, and Arab Americans by prioritizing secure borders, economic opportunity, and an America First foreign policy," Trump's Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital.

Fields said the left’s "divisive focus" on DEI has undermined decades of progress toward true equality and that Trump and his administration reject such "backward thinking."

"[The White House] will pursue an agenda that lifts everyone up with the chance to achieve the American Dream," Fields said.

Fox News Digital also reached out to Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., who represents most of Baltimore City in Congress. Mfume did not ultimately offer a response to the inquiry.

The legal filing opens with a quotation from West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnett – a 1943 Supreme Court case brought by a Jehovah’s Witness family that ruled students cannot be compelled to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

"If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation it is that no official ... can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion or other matter of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein," Justice Robert Jackson, an FDR appointee, wrote in his ruling.

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The filing itself alleges that if "lawful DEI programs are suddenly deemed unlawful by presidential fiat, plaintiffs must either risk prosecution for making a false claim or censor promotion of their values."

"Our Constitution does not tolerate that result."

It goes on to allege that Trump’s "goal is to punish those who recognize or choose to speak out about this country's history on issues of enslavement, racial exclusion, health disparities, gender inequality, treatment of individuals with disabilities, and discrimination."

The lawsuit was reportedly assisted or organized in part by Democracy Forward, a nonprofit organization founded during the first Trump administration that claimed to have identified a number of severe "threats to democracy, social progress and rule of law" that Trump represented after his 2016 win.

Democracy Forward boasted on its website that it has sued the Trump administration more than 100 times thus far.

The group’s president, Skye Perryman, said in a statement on the Baltimore lawsuit that the Constitution protects all Americans regardless of occupation and that Trump’s anti-DEI orders "offend these protections and others."

"The coalition bringing this suit represents people of diverse professions and backgrounds who are all harmed by these unlawful orders, which have chilled their activities and provision of essential services," Perryman said.

A new Washington state bill characterized as a repeal of the state’s Parents Bill of Rights now includes a provision allowing information to be essentially withheld from parents regarding assaults of their children for up to 48 hours.

State Sen. Claire Wilson, D-Federal Way, attested to the Washington State Standard the bill overall "doesn’t change any rights" and is a "cleanup bill" that updates health privacy provisions to align with current law.

In a House Education Committee hearing this week, one lawmaker unsuccessfully attempted to undo the 48-hour rule and require immediate parental notification.

"The underlying bill essentially states that schools can wait 48 hours before they tell parents if their children were involved in any kind of criminal action or if there was any sexual misconduct of staff," said state Rep. Travis Couture, R-Shelton.

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"And we have seen a stunning amount of sexual misconduct and sexual assaults by educators in our schools just in the last year itself."

He cited reports that two principals in the Vancouver, Wash., area "hid information" from parents on sexual misconduct against a teen.

"As a parent myself, I would be disgusted and sickened to know if my kids had some kind of sexual abuse put upon them by staff, and I wasn't notified immediately of those things. . . . For God’s sake, vote yes [on the amendment]."

But Democrat Lillian Ortiz-Self argued that as a school guidance counselor, she was trained in how to best deal with such situations.

"It’s very clear that we take direction from law enforcement and from the Department of Children and Family Services whenever there's a crime that has taken place and that we must sit here and give them the time to do the investigation so that justice can be served. Our role in the schools is to support the child and support the parents," said Ortiz-Self, of Mukilteo.

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Ortiz-Self said authorities must not have their investigations "impeded," to which KTTH commentator Jason Rantz reacted incredulously in a column.

"She didn’t say, most likely because it’s a completely contrived concern," he wrote.

Couture’s amendment to ensure immediate parental notification failed in an ensuing voice vote, with House Education Committee chairwoman Sharon Tomiko-Santos, D-Seattle, voting "nay" and deeming the vote unsuccessful.

Following Couture’s attempt to undo the change, another committee member raised a new amendment regarding parental notification if they are accused of a crime and have "more than just a meet and greet with a police officer."

"We just heard if law enforcement are involved, parents should be involved as well. They should have the bare minimum of a notification when it comes to law enforcement questioning a child," said state Rep. Matt Marshall, R-Roy.

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"There are just certain protections that are afforded to all of us as members of society given by our Constitution. And one of them is the right to legal protection. And we're innocent until proven guilty. If parents aren't even involved, then children are potentially not aware of their rights. If they're being questioned, who's to say what they're going to admit to when they're being accused of a crime?"

Marshall later said committee Democrats rejected two dozen Republican amendments in what he called a "blatant disregard for parents’ rights" and children's safety.

"[This is] further proof that Dems care more about their woke agenda than protecting our kids," he said.

Fresh from bringing us stories like "Hailey Bieber Is Reviving the Pantless Trend in 2025" and "Let a Pair of Zany Sunglasses Revive Your Winter Style," Vogue writer Hannah Jackson decided to rip into First Lady Melania Trump’s official White House portrait.   

"The choice to wear a tuxedo—as opposed to a blazer or blouse—made Trump look more like a freelance magician than a public servant. It’s perhaps unsurprising that a woman who lived in a gold-encrusted penthouse, whose fame is so intertwined with a reality-television empire, would refuse to abandon theatrics—even when faced with 248 years of tradition."  

The problem for Jackson is that the rest of us have eyes. Melania Trump looked incredible in her portrait. Her outfit rang business with a feminine touch. This isn’t the same woman we knew during the first Donald Trump administration. She has a look of resolve in her eyes that she didn’t before. She has seen how nasty people can be, and she’s ready to take them all on. She will look beautiful doing it. 

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Vogue and its staff didn’t seem to mind the collapse of 248 years of tradition during the last administration while the president pardoned his family and his staff covered up that he was mentally incapacitated. But a tuxedo jacket they simply cannot abide! 

It’s not because Vogue doesn’t cover non-fashion issues either. In 2020, they had pieces sympathetic to defunding the police and in summer of 2024, they featured First Lady Jill Biden on their cover, shortly after President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate that ended his candidacy, and fawning over Jill Biden when she was getting massive criticism for celebrating his debate performance.  

There’s no denying that Melania is a fashion icon, but in this populist moment she is that specifically for the people. When she wore skinny jeans and a beanie on day two of the new Trump administration, the internet exploded with joy that skinny jeans were officially back. She sets trends and Vogue can’t stand it.  

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Vogue’s outburst is particularly because they’ve lost so much influence. Their echo chamber conversations about fashion don’t resonate with the rest of us. Who is wearing the absurd looks on their pages? No one. But skinny jeans and a beanie we understand, and Melania’s outfits are both glamorous and accessible. Vogue hates that. The whole point of their fashion world is to leave people out. Who wants the masses wearing the wildly expensive and weird clothing they promote? They certainly don’t. 

During the first Trump administration, Vogue was criticized for never putting Melania Trump, or Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump, who was then in the administration, on its cover. The former model would have been a natural choice, but Vogue magazine is home of the ultimate mean girls, and they like it that way. Anyone who doesn’t agree with their liberal politics is out, of course. You have to march in lockstep, or you don’t get in the club. They wear pink on Wednesdays and no, you can’t sit with them.  

But things have changed and now no one wants into their club. They’ve lost influence and they know it. It’s a different time and the people who have spent the last four years bullying others into using specific language or having just the right positions are no longer in charge. 

A different Vogue writer, Christian Allaire, spent time attacking Ivanka, who is not in this administration, for her inauguration ball gown, saying "Given politicians often embed their outfits with powerful or meaningful choices—see Dr. Jill Biden’s patriotic wardrobe in shades of red, white, and blue—Trump’s wardrobe appears to be built on artifice and aesthetics instead." The most artificial and aesthetically obsessed magazine in the world should really think twice about criticizing "artifice" in others.  

Things have changed in America since 2016, but Vogue hasn’t gotten the memo. Jackson added that "Melania Trump still struggles with sartorial messaging." The rest of us get her message loud and clear. Only Vogue is struggling to understand. 

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A group of moms in one Massachusetts public school district were condemned for questioning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's (DEI) influence on local education, but now the district itself is changing course.

Carey Goldberg, a contributing writer for Globe Ideas, wrote an extensive opinion piece about how a trio of mothers in the tony Boston suburb braved public backlash to warn against far-left school policy changes. The three moms, all of whom were Democratic Party voters, began to question Newton public school district policies in 2022.

"At first we were just trying to understand the drastic changes that took place while no one was in school during COVID," Vanessa Calagna, one of the trio, told The Globe writer. "It was like we were trying to put a puzzle together. And then we were trying to ring the alarm."

Those changes, Goldberg wrote, "involved a heightened emphasis on racial equity and antiracism, including a district commitment to ‘dismantle structures rooted in racism’ and seek ‘more equitable outcomes for all students.’"

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One of the most controversial initiatives was combining students into "multilevel" classes, where, "Rather than students being divided into separate classes by level, students at varying levels would learn together — even in math, science, and languages." 

The purported goal was to "break the persistent pattern that white and Asian students predominated in ‘honors’ classes while Black and Hispanic students tended to be clustered in less-challenging ‘college-prep’ classes."

"[The mothers] wanted to know whether the multilevel classes and other new policies — such as denying advanced math students the chance to skip ahead a year — hurt students academically," the author summarized. "They also worried that the schools’ newer approaches to race and other identities emphasized differences rather than commonalities. And that equity was being defined as 'equal outcomes' rather than fairness."

School Committee member Paul Levy estimated that when he campaigned in 2021, 80% of more than 1,000 parents voiced concerns to him about these issues, but many would not dare speak about them in public for fear of being called "racist."

In 2022, the trio of mothers and their allies faced severe backlash after launching a petition to create an advisory panel that would give parents a voice on such academic issues. 

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"The mothers and their allies found themselves portrayed online and in public as dog-whistling bigots doing the bidding of right-wing national groups," Goldberg wrote. She added further that "PTO newsletters opposed them, as did the teachers’ union and the robust local group Families Organizing for Racial Justice, which claimed in an email that some petitioners ‘challenge the need for any activities related to microaggressions, inclusion, respect, or belonging.’"

When the three mothers and other parents questioned these new policies, defenders would cite the district’s "statement of values and commitment to racial equity," which sought "more equitable outcomes" and "an antiracist future."

"And that was untouchable," Calagna told The Globe contributor. "That was the third rail until, all of a sudden, now."

Now many Newton teachers are reportedly "openly rebelling" against multilevel classes.

"Those teachers report that the classes do not tend to work well for anyone — not for teachers, not for students who need more support, not for those who need more challenges," Goldberg reported. "Many parents concur."

"I’ve heard about multilevel classes from many, many parents over the last three years, and the feedback has been consistently negative," School Committee member Rajeev Parlikar reportedly argued during a meeting in November. "I actually have not heard from a single parent who thought their child benefited from being in a multilevel class."

However, even with both teachers and parents openly calling to remove multilevel classes by next fall, Newton’s new superintendent, Anna Nolin, told Goldberg such reforms are a long process.

"When [Nolin} took office in mid-2023, she found that the prestigious district lacked basic infrastructure that is standard elsewhere, including systems for curriculum development and student assessments," Goldberg summarized. "Also absent: an agreed-upon system for the district to track the effects of the multilevel classes on student achievement."

Work is reportedly underway to create distinct levels, but Nolin warned, "you can’t fix the curriculum overnight."

The superintendent has also begun efforts to restore parents’ trust in the schools, such as by establishing a new Office of Family Engagement so parents "know exactly what we’re doing."

Nolin observed that after the COVID-19 pandemic, "parent attitudes toward the schools changed, and there was a skepticism about how effective our methods were. For whatever reason, they did not feel heard by the school system, and that is the cocktail that brought us this schism between ‘equity’ and ‘excellence’ groups."

The superintendent noted that the school’s motto "Equity & Excellence," is now seen as "divisive." 

It will soon be replaced by the phrase, "Where All Children Thrive."

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Fox News Digital reached out to the school district and did not receive an immediate reply. 

Washington state's attorney general is standing by Costco as the retail giant resists conservative pressure to ditch its diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

This week, 19 Republican attorneys general sent a letter to Costco, urging the retail giant to end "all unlawful discrimination imposed by the company" through its "divisive" DEI policies. 

The attorney general for Washington state, where Costco's headquarters are located, defended the company and fired back at the Republican effort.

"I’m surprised by my Republican colleagues’ eagerness to weaponize the government against business," Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, a Democrat, told Fox News Digital. "We don’t believe in punishing private companies for making decisions that protect and enhance their workforce."

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Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who led the 19-state effort against Costco alongside Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach, vowed to "look at all available options" to ensure the business is following federal and state laws regarding race-based or gender identity-based hiring practices.

"Costco needs to show us the proof that they are following the law because they have public statements that cause us great concern," Bird said Wednesday to Fox News. "Many other big retailers have changed their policies and are now following federal law, just like President Trump is doing with his executive orders rooting out DEI, so they need to show us they're following the law."

Attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska and North Dakota also signed the letter, which gives Costco 30 days to respond.

The letter comes on the heels of Trump signing an executive order targeting DEI in the federal government and encouraging the private sector to end these "illegal" practices.

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The order tasks the attorneys general with rooting out sectors and organizations that allegedly engage in discriminatory DEI practices. Recommendations will be made for potential lawsuits against violators.

Major companies like Target, McDonald's and Walmart have backed off from their DEI policies in recent months amid growing scrutiny over these policies. 

Costco has thus far resisted these challenges and defended DEI values as critical to the success of its business. 

"We owe our success to the more than 300,000 employees who serve our members every day. It is important that they all feel included and appreciated and that they transmit these values to our customers," Costco board chair Hamilton "Tony" E. James said at the shareholder meeting Thursday.

At that meeting, Costco shareholders overwhelmingly rejected an anti-DEI proposal brought by a conservative shareholder group to evaluate the risks posed by its DEI practices to the company's bottom line.

James said that the company's "commitment to inclusion" neither compromises merit nor includes quotas or systematic preferences.

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Constitutional law attorney and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley told Fox News Digital on Wednesday that, "absent an unlawful policy, businesses have the right to make their own employment decisions within the parameters of the law."

"That includes mandatory training on DEI. Customers obviously have the right to make their own judgment in purchases, as shown by the response to Bud Light and Disney. However, state AGs need to be mindful of the countervailing speech and other rights afforded to corporations and organizations," he added in an emailed statement.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of the remaining 30 state attorneys general that did not sign off on the letter to Costco to ask if they would be taking any action, for or against the business, after Trump's executive order. 

A spokesperson for Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita told Fox News Digital, "Attorney General Rokita stands firmly against unlawful DEI practices and supports President Trump’s actions to end them in corporate America."

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown's office referred Fox News Digital to his letter, co-signed by 13 Democratic attorneys general earlier this month, urging Walmart to keep its commitment to DEI. The letter was also signed by the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Iowa AG Bird did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment by publication time.

Fox News' Jamie Joseph and Taylor Penley contributed to this article.

Only days after Indiana Gov. Mike Braun was sworn-in in Indianapolis, the former Republican senator officially rid the state government of its Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) apparatus.

Instead, Braun – who grew a small Jasper truck-body business called Meyer Distributing into a major player with 700 product lines – said on Friday it takes a politician who "signed the front side of a paycheck" to understand what economic priorities actually matter, and DEI is not one of them.

"At the [Indiana] inaugural, which was over the weekend for me, there was so much excitement knowing something is afoot even in a good red state like Indiana, mostly because of what's going to happen out in D.C. and the partnership that can happen between enterprising states like ours has always been," Braun said on "Fox & Friends."

"We’ve never really had somebody from Main Street… be our own governor here."

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Braun contrasted the conservative economic vision with that of President Biden and other Democrats, whose platform is "built on big government."

"Rahm Emanuel said ‘never let a crisis go to waste’," he said in that respect, referring to the former President Barack Obama confidant’s motto during the 2008 financial crisis. The line was seen as a suggestion to use tough moments to force through tenets of one’s personal agenda. 

In comments to Fox News Digital, Braun said that in nearly 40 years of running a business, he knows what works and what does not.

Instead of DEI, Indiana needs "MEI" – or Merit, Excellence and Innovation – to be a priority, he said.

"Government should be laser-focused on one thing: getting results for the people they serve. We’re replacing the divisive DEI ideology with a level playing field of MEI -- the same reason we’re eliminating college degree requirements where they’re not essential and adding key performance metrics for accountability," Braun said.

"[That is] because everyone should be judged on what they do, not who they are."

Braun noted his business background and reiterated how his guiding principle of growing Meyer into the expansive business it is today has been "results – above everything else."

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"That’s exactly what we’re putting first in my administration."

In his order, Braun cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard – which found affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause – and said state resources would not be used to "support [DEI] positions, departments, activities, procedures or programs if they grant preferential treatment based upon one person's particular race..."

It also bans requirements of Indianans to have to disclose their personal pronouns or for employers to mandate job applicants to provide a DEI-related statement.

"We've grown the federal government to a place that I hope DOGE… brings it down because you’ve got a lot of anxious governors that want to double down on [DOGE] – we’re going to do it anyway," Braun said separately on Fox News Channel.

Braun said that since COVID-19, too many Indiana bureaucrats are still teleworking and that the DEI-nixing effort is also another way to streamline government to be more effective, just like Meyer.

The state’s DEI office had been established by Braun’s predecessor, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.

After the George Floyd incident in Minnesota, Holcomb addressed Indianans on the issue of "getting to the root causes of inequities and not just reacting to the symptoms."

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Holcomb, who first ascended to the governorship when Mike Pence became vice president in 2017, appointed then-University of Notre Dame public affairs director Karrah Herring to lead the new DEI department.

Braun also received some pushback on his decision:

The Indiana legislature’s minority leader said he respects Braun’s right to position his new administration how he wants but questioned his chosen hierarchy.

"Thinking of the myriad issues Hoosiers are facing, though, I can’t understand why this is a top priority," State Rep. Phil GiaQuinta, D-Fort Wayne, said in a statement.

GiaQuinta added a recent caucus meeting with the DEI office was "insightful and helpful" to their work addressing Indianans’ needs, and called the department’s sunset a "distraction from the real issues."

Our high school volleyball career ended abruptly with a choice we never should have been forced to make: Forfeit the last game of our season — and the chance to compete for state title — or play against a male athlete. 
 
On the one hand, the decision was easy. We are Christians attending a Christian school, and it should come as no surprise that we believe Genesis 1 is true — that God created male and female, that you can’t change your sex, and that to compete against a male who identifies as female would send a message that contradicts what we believe. A lot of people believe a person can simply change their sex by saying so, but the Bible tells us to "not be conformed to this world." 
 
On the other hand, it was devastating. We are both seniors, and forfeiting that game meant our entire volleyball career — all the hard work and sacrifices — that we had put in to get to the semifinals came to a screeching halt without proper closure. We never had the opportunity to celebrate playing the last game of a sport we love or to compete for a state title, an award Stone Ridge Christian School’s girls’ volleyball team has won twice in recent years. 

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We volleyball players, along with the administration and staff of our school in Merced, California, made the difficult decision to forgo participating in that November game against San Francisco Waldorf School. 

No girl should be forced to choose between competing against a male athlete or not competing at all. No girl should lose athletic opportunities for standing up for biological reality and truth. Every athlete has the right to compete while adhering to her religious beliefs. 
 
The California Interscholastic Federation has publicly said that our school may be subject to sanctions for our commonsense stand. So, Stone Ridge has retained Alliance Defending Freedom, which stands ready and able to defend the school should the government follow through with its threats of punishment. 
 
Although we are the first Christian school in the state to choose to stand up for our beliefs in this way, college volleyball players at public universities who likewise have a lot to lose are bravely standing for truth, fairness and safety. Five teams have now forfeited seven matches against nearby San Jose State University, which allows a male athlete to compete on its women’s volleyball team. 

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It’s not realistic to think girls and boys can compete fairly or safely against each other. The differences between men’s and women’s volleyball are so great, they’re practically like two different sports. For starters, the net is seven inches taller in men’s volleyball, and the playing style is completely different. 

Girls’ volleyball is very strategic. We watch films, come up with a plan, and think about every move. There’s no greater feeling than seeing all your training pay off when your team earns a hard-fought win. We communicate; we’re defensive. 
 
But it’s quite different for guys — it’s more about power. They use their strength to smack the ball to the other side; they just react. They jump effortlessly, and half of their body is over the net, spiking the ball hard. Forget about trying to block them. 
 
We may never have the opportunity to put on our pads and hit the court again, which is really hard for us. But this is so much bigger than just a game or even a state title. 

We’re taking this stand on behalf of all the young girls who want to play sports someday. Defending the truth that boys and girls are inherently different, and that each deserve their own, separate sports teams and locker rooms, is worth it. 
 
As long as California’s athletic policies allow boys to compete against girls — taking their roster spots and trophies and forcing them to unfairly forfeit critical games — other girls will face this issue. Christian schools like Stone Ridge have the fundamental right to protect their students’ well-being and stand firm in their religious beliefs. 

Mikyla Beene plays volleyball for Stone Ridge Christian School in Merced, California.

A war is being waged against American society. The goal? To disrupt it, break it down and remake it in a completely different way. This sort of assault falls under the category of "political warfare" – meaning the use of all weapons of power, short of a shooting war, to achieve goals. 

One of the most successful political warfare weapons used against American society is DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion). Those who wield it know their goal. As Democrat Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley said: "the truth is that America needs DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] to disrupt systems of oppression that are active in every facet of society."  

Sound a little like the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)? Not surprisingly, for decades China-linked entities have used real societal issues as cover to support organizations that exacerbate American societal divisions to advance CCP interests.  

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In 1971, during China’s murderous Cultural Revolution, Huey Newton, founder of the Black Panthers, traveled to China where he met a supportive Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. Back in the U.S., the Panthers sold copies of Mao’s Little Red Book to raise money, including for weapons. 

Beijing doesn’t care about discrimination in America, it wants to pit American against American and weaken the country from the inside in order to make it easier to "win without fighting." DEI is an effective political warfare weapon to achieve that goal. 

Once inside organizations, DEI programs function like IEDs (improvised explosive device) in a battle zone. They lie hidden. Then, one wrong move and bang – your career, self-worth, ability to provide for your family, can be over. And no one looks at you the same way again.  

(This analogy in no way minimizes the horror of the physical damage caused by real world IEDs. It’s just a way to understand the seriousness of the institutional and personal damage done by DEI.) 

One aspect of IEDs is those who place them, and/or remotely detonate them, stay safely out of the blast zone. Similarly, those using DEI/IEDs to attack know there is rarely any punishment, even for false accusations.  

One result, as Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth put it – from privates to commanders – people are constantly "walking on eggshells." It spreads fear, distrust and stress.   

The U.S. military still functions (and often very well), but the DEI/IED tension is ever present – affecting recruitment, morale, training, effectiveness and ultimately lethality. 

There are dedicated and effective efforts to ‘demine’ society by people like Manhattan Institute senior fellow Chris Rufo and Conservative activist Robby Starbuck. But in the military, no similar efforts by senior officers come to mind. 

Indeed, when the DEI/IEDs were being laid in the military, leadership helped.  

Testifying before Congress in 2021, then-Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, General Mark Milley, indicated "White rage" in the military was his priority – even though at the time intelligence about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s possible invasion of Ukraine was presumably on his desk.  

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin launched an "extremists" hunt. He found fewer "extremists" in the ranks than you’ll find in any Ivy League faculty lounge.  

In 2022, the current Chief of the Joint Staff, General Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. wrote a memo that implicitly called for racial quotas in the Air Force officer ranks – at least.  

The DEI/IEDs did their damage. Meanwhile, the services struggle to find recruits, U.S. arsenals are depleted, and we still aren’t focused on fighting China.  

Beijing ought to be delighted.  

We’ve seen the results of DEI/IED in the military before.  

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In the late-‘60s, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara’s "Project 100,000" pushed in recruits from mental and physical categories who otherwise would have been rejected.  Race wasn’t involved – it was about changing standards to meet quotas. Indeed, in the late 1940s when Black Americans were finally allowed to compete (to the same standards) as other Americans, the American military – and American society – greatly benefited.

But Project 100,000 was equity and inclusion on overdrive. The harm was immediate, including those soldiers being three times more likely to be killed in action, not to mention getting others around them killed.

Moreover, Project 100,000 contributed to the collapse of discipline throughout the U.S. military services, to include racial violence, drugs and gangs that lasted well into the 1970s.

Nobody much remembers those days, unfortunately.  Don’t think they couldn’t return.

It’s not superficial diversity that is our strength; it is our unity of purpose.  

An efficient, effective and deadly military depends on high standards that are unfailingly maintained – along with fair treatment, equal opportunity and advancement on merit. Remove any one of these and you’re asking for trouble. DEI/IED removes all of them. No wonder China has been such a supporter. 

If DEI is allowed anywhere near the US military (or anywhere else) it should be good DEI: Discipline, Effort and Integrity. All things the individual has control over. The content of the character.  

The sooner the DEI/IED mine-clearing teams do their work, the safer we will all be.  

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