Contrary to claims by the US president, we have found that diversity initiatives result in better scientists and greater progressChristina Pagel is a member of Independent SageDonald Trump’s attacks on diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) initiatives since his January inauguration have been intense, indiscriminate and escalating. A tragic plane crash was baselessly blamed on DEI. All DEI programmes within public bodies have been ended and private contractors face cancellation if they also don’t comply. Webpages that defend religious diversity in the context of Holocaust remembrance have been taken down.Science and academia have been particularly targeted. Universities are threatened with losing federal funding if they support DEI. Government reports and government-funded research are being held back if they include prohibited terms such as “gender”, “pregnant person”, “women”, “elderly”, or “disabled”. Grants funded by the National Institutes of Health are being cancelled if they...
Christina Pagel argues that Donald Trump's "war on woke" is escalating into a dangerous attack on science, citing the elimination of DEI programs in public bodies, threats to universities' funding for DEI support, suppression of government research containing prohibited terms, and cancellation of NIH grants addressing DEI. This trend is also spreading to the UK, where diversity initiatives are being abandoned.
