Florida professors quietly defy restrictions on race and gender: ‘This is how authoritarianism works’
Sociology faculty are refusing to alter syllabi, even as state targets how race, gender and inequality are taughtSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxAcross Florida universities, some sociology professors are quietly choosing not to alter their courses in...
<p>Sociology faculty are refusing to alter syllabi, even as state targets how race, gender and inequality are taught</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&utm_campaign=BN22326&utm_content=signup&utm_term=standfirst&utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox</a></p></li></ul><p>Across<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/florida"> Florida</a> universities, some <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/sociology">sociology</a> professors are quietly choosing not to alter their courses in response to new state guidelines restricting how topics like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/race">race</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gender">gender</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/sexuality">sexuality</a> can be discussed. Rather than rewriting syllabi or removing foundational material, as the new demands would call for, they say they are continuing to teach their classes as designed. The professors view the preservation of their curricula not as an act of defiance, but as a professional responsibility to provide students with a full and rigorous education.</p><p>In late January, Florida’s department of education introduced what many professors are calling a censored sociology textbook for use in the state’s public colleges and universities, along with a list of proposed guidelines at state schools, restricting various discussions related to systemic discrimination, gender and sexual identity, race-conscious remedies, and the structural causes of inequality. Faculty members say this move reflects a broader effort to narrow academic freedom in higher education and follows <a href="https://scholarship.law.ufl.edu/facultypub/1200/">several years of legislation</a> aimed at reshaping public university curricula under the banner of combating “woke ideology”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/18/florida-colleges-push-back-race-gender-restrictions">Continue reading...</a>
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