Brian Harrison, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, announced on July 22, 2025, that he is urging Governor Greg Abbott to include a ban on taxpayer-funded Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and LGBTQ programs in the agenda for an upcoming special legislative session. Harrison shared his position and legislative efforts through a series of posts on his official X account.
In his first post at 17:37 UTC, Harrison stated: “I am asking Gov. @GregAbbott_TX to add a ban on taxpayer funded DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination to the special session agenda.
We past time we stop taxing Texans out of their homes to fund the progressive left’s agenda!
I filed three bills to do that (see below). …” (July 22, 2025).
Harrison continued by announcing specific legislation he has introduced: “Proud to file HB171, the ‘Defunding Indoctrination in Education (DIE) Act,’ the boldest ban on DEI and LGBTQ indoctrination in America, which completely defunds any public university promoting it.
Public universities are for education, not leftist indoctrination. It is” (July 22, 2025).
He also referenced challenges faced within the legislative process: “Since a DEMOCRAT Chairman rejected my rider to stop taxes from funding DEI in the budget… I am now filing HB172 to finally end all DEI in the Texas government!” (July 22, 2025).
Efforts targeting DEI initiatives have been increasing across several states. In Texas specifically, lawmakers previously passed Senate Bill 17 in June 2023 which banned diversity offices at public colleges and universities and prohibited mandatory diversity training or statements regarding diversity philosophies. This legislation reflects broader debates over how state funds should be used with respect to diversity-related programming.
Governor Greg Abbott has previously expressed support for limiting or eliminating DEI programs in state institutions. The current push by Representative Harrison aligns with ongoing discussions about educational priorities and public funding allocation within Texas politics.
