I have no experience about Texas social backgrounds and cultures but, talking generally about "diversity equiti inclusion" I'm quite upset, scared, about bans. Banning these programs is, let's say, extreme; of course sometimes they need a change, but ban? No sense!
For the matter of meritocracy I also could agree but this is not a fact of "DEI" but people's minds should need a "hard reset" like computers as in some situations we mostly tend to "forgive" something that wouldn't deserve to be forgiven, because we fear being judged assholes after having been unpolite to a person representing a "minority".
I could give you a stupid example: one of my closest friends is totally blind and last year I invited them at my place to have dinner, a talk, some piano play...
I've studied piano for years and love playing, so I said "try yourself, you've also played in your life, let's have fun"
My friend tried and my answer has been "not bad, for a person who hasn't played any longer in 11 years".
I could have simply said "you should train again, do more exercise, your fingers are quite rigid" but I've been afraid to humiliate, despite knowing this person for years.
I think that if this is the mindset adopted for a DEI program, that one would miserably fail.
Or I could refer to another friend who's deaf - he works in a company which has a long-time DEI program but guess what?
No subtitle or at least written support, when they have meetings, calls, events - also the ones regarding DEI.
Too easy to join prides, "black live matters", talk about fighting gender gap and violence, but then...
I have the sensation many people treat inclusion and diversity like something to show rather than something to do.
At last, merit is a valid thing but when "merit" chooses the healthy, straight and white man rather than the woman, person with disability, gay or whatever... It becomes a biased selection and always the same people are left behind. And the opposite sucks too: if you select, for a university or a job, a person for their "diversity" regardless of their real skills, it becomes a failure.
I experienced this myself when I came out with my HIV status at work. It was my deliberate choice, nothing mandatory. Luckily I had no discrimination then, but I've had some co-workers treating me differently. With more admiration than before. But why the fuck! I think these kinds of "exaggerations" can make "people with nothing in particular" feel the complex of "minority" and make them freak out.
In that case though, I say "welcome on board" as white-straight-male-rich is a combo that has dominated the world for centuries... Despite being the minority!