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Mississippi Gov. Reeves signed HB 1193 banning DEI programs and barring instruction on transgender identity and gender theory in public schools

On April 17, 2025, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1193, banning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs and offices in the state's K-12 public schools and public universities. The law separately bars teaching or promoting concepts described as "transgender ideology, gender-neutral pronouns, heteronormativity, gender theory, sexual privilege or any related formulation," and requires institutions to affirm a two-sex, chromosome-based definition of gender. A federal judge later found the law unconstitutionally vague and issued a preliminary injunction blocking its enforcement statewide.

Jurisdiction
Mississippi
Location
Jackson, Mississippi

Abuses documented

Actors

On April 17, 2025, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 1193 into law after it passed the House 74-41 and the Senate 34-14 earlier in the 2025 session. The law prohibits Mississippi's public K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, programs, or courses, and bars institutions from using DEI statements or trainings in hiring, admissions, or employment decisions.

Section 3(f) of the bill separately forbids schools from maintaining programs or courses "that promote or endorse divisive concepts or concepts promoting transgender ideology, gender-neutral pronouns, heteronormativity, gender theory, sexual privilege or any related formulation of these concepts." A companion section requires institutions to "teach, promote and distribute information based on the scientific policy that there are two (2) genders, male and female," defined by chromosomal makeup. The law also mandates that institutions report DEI-related "incidents" annually to their governing boards and the Legislature.

The law took effect July 1, 2025.

Updates

2025-07-20 — Federal court issued a temporary restraining order pausing enforcement [4, 5]

U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate issued a temporary restraining order as an emergency measure to preserve the status quo, after faculty and students reported chilled classroom discussion and canceled programming under the law.

2025-08-18 — Judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking the law as unconstitutionally vague [4, 6]

Wingate granted a preliminary injunction keeping HB 1193 blocked statewide pending trial, finding the law "unconstitutionally vague" and not viewpoint-neutral, and warning it carried "serious risks of terrible consequences with respect to the chilling of expression and academic freedom."

2025-09-16 — Mississippi appealed the injunction to the Fifth Circuit [7]

The Mississippi Attorney General's office appealed the entirety of Judge Wingate's order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The preliminary injunction remained in effect while the appeal was pending.

Why we recorded this

Equal treatment under law bars government from targeting people for who they are, including within the classrooms and workplaces the state itself runs. Mississippi enacted a law banning DEI programs and specifically forbidding public schools and universities from teaching or promoting material addressing transgender identity, gender-neutral pronouns, or gender theory. By writing a ban on transgender-related concepts directly into state education law -- later found by a federal judge to be unconstitutionally vague and not viewpoint-neutral -- the state used its authority over public education to disadvantage a protected group and chill classroom discussion of their existence.

Sources

  1. House Bill 1193 (As Passed the House) - 2025 Regular Session — Mississippi Legislature primary accessed July 12, 2026
  2. Mississippi HB1193 | 2025 | Regular Session — LegiScan primary accessed July 12, 2026
  3. Mississippi Legislature approves DEI ban after heated debate — Mississippi Today investigative accessed July 12, 2026
  4. Mississippi's Ban on Diversity Programs in Public Schools Will Remain Blocked From Taking Effect, Judge Rules — Mississippi Free Press investigative accessed July 12, 2026
  5. Judge Wingate temporarily blocks anti-DEI law in Mississippi — Magnolia Tribune investigative accessed July 12, 2026
  6. Federal judge blocks Mississippi's DEI ban law indefinitely — Mississippi Today investigative accessed July 12, 2026
  7. Mississippi appeals injunction over enforcement of anti-DEI law to Fifth Circuit — Magnolia Tribune investigative accessed July 12, 2026

See also