DEI law cosponsor calls Ohio State's Juneteenth guidelines an ‘intentional overreaction'
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Just days before Pride Month, Ohio State University disabled its LGBTQ+ webpages and issued limiting guidelines for how university groups can celebrate 'cultural and awareness recognitions and events' like Pride and Juneteenth.
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said the changes fell under compliance efforts for Senate Bill 1, which opponents say is a sweeping anti-diversity, equity and inclusion bill that goes into effect for Ohio universities on June 27. The bill's cosponsor, Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery), said Ohio State is wildly misinterpreting the bill in its cultural event guidelines, which only allow recognition of events without advocacy or voicing opinions.
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'As is typical, this is an intentional overreaction and misrepresentation designed to misinform the public on what the legislation actually says and does,' Click told NBC4.
Senate Bill 1 prohibits public universities from endorsing or taking a position on any 'controversial belief or policy,' which includes any politically controversial topic, including climate change, foreign policy, elections, immigration, abortion, marriage and DEI. Senate Bill 1 does not define DEI or what it encompasses.
'We are in the process of implementing the law, and there is an ongoing review of DEI programming,' Johnson said.
Ohio State said university organizations are allowed to acknowledge 'cultural and awareness celebrations and events,' but they cannot do anything further. OSU said anything beyond recognizing an event, including taking a position, engaging in advocacy or further expanding on the celebration, is not permitted in university spaces. This includes speaking in a university capacity and using school email or social media.
Events celebrating Pride or other celebrations also cannot be 'for' or 'primarily benefit' any underrepresented group. The university used Women's History Month, Black History Month, Pride Month and Juneteenth as examples.
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Juneteenth stands out among the list because it is a state and federal holiday, and the university will close on June 19 in honor of the occasion. Juneteenth recognizes when the last enslaved Americans learned about the Emancipation Proclamation.
Although Senate Bill 1 said universities cannot endorse controversial topics, it does clarify that the law does not apply to state and federal holidays. Click alleged Ohio State was purposefully misunderstanding the law by issuing those guidelines for Juneteenth and Black History Month.
As the bill originated in the state Senate, NBC4 also reached out to Senate Republicans but did not immediately receive a response. Ohio State also did not respond to Click's allegation by publication.
Ohio State referred to its guidelines as a 'pause' on further commentary as the university examines the extent of Senate Bill 1's limits on controversial topics.
'It's too soon to say what exact programs and services will be available in the fall,' Johnson said.
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The university is complying with Senate Bill 1, but the law does not go into effect until June 27. NBC4 asked why these changes were implemented ahead of the law going into effect, and the university responded that it is part of Senate Bill 1 implementation.
Despite the new guidelines, the College of Social Work is marching in this weekend's Columbus Pride parade. Ohio State still includes Columbus Pride in its suggestions to explore Columbus. Ohio State University Marching Band alumni and current members will perform together at Pride.
Before discontinuing Ohio State's LGBTQ+ webpages, the website offered support for LGBTQ+ students and allies. An archived version of the webpage shows it offered educational materials, support services and resources for LGBTQ+ students. It is not the only discontinued support page; although Ohio State still links to its Inclusion and Student Engagement and Support pages, both are no longer available.
Ohio State's new guidelines do not apply to Ohio State faculty, staff or students expressing their individual beliefs separately from university channels or programming.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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