Since 2023, a single piece of model legislation has quietly reshaped the landscape of American education and local governance. The Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative think tank based in New York City, drafted a model bill defining diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. That definition has since appeared, nearly word for word, in multiple state laws.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed one such bill into law last week, barring local governments from spending money on DEI initiatives. The law’s language is adapted directly from the Manhattan Institute’s template.
The timing is not coincidental. The Manhattan Institute released its model bill in 2023. Since then, a sharp rise in anti-DEI legislation has swept through statehouses across the country.
Several states introduced bills containing almost identical phrasing. What the Institute calls a policy blueprint, LGBTQ+ advocates call a “pride ban.” They argue the measure threatens nondiscrimination ordinances, local pride events, and services for queer residents.
This focus on LGBTQ+ issues marks a shift for the Manhattan Institute. Prior to the 2020s, the think tank did not have a strong track record on these matters. Its recent work, however, has extended beyond model legislation.
The institute has been instrumental in informing the current US administration’s policy on gender-affirming care. The Department of Health and Human Services has collaborated with MI on its controversial pediatric gender framework. Quinnehtukqut McLamore, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Missouri, offered a reason for the strategy.
Attacking LGBTQ+ rights, McLamore said, can draw support from people who normally do not back right-wing agendas. They may oppose anti-trans positions even if they disagree with the broader conservative platform.
It is a wedge that works. On the ground in New York City, residents describe a sense of unease. The policy battles playing out in Florida and elsewhere feel distant, but the think tank driving them operates a few blocks from City Hall.
The Manhattan Institute has long been a fixture in conservative policy circles, known for work on crime, welfare, and urban development. Its turn toward LGBTQ+ issues is a recent, deliberate pivot.
The model bill on DEI is the centerpiece of that effort. The law signed by DeSantis prohibits local governments from spending money on DEI-related initiatives. That includes training, programming, and offices dedicated to diversity and inclusion.
The definition of DEI in the Florida statute mirrors the Manhattan Institute’s model. Critics say the law is written broadly enough to chill any municipal activity touching on equity or inclusion. Pride events, which often receive public funding or permits, could be affected.
Non-discrimination ordinances that protect LGBTQ+ people from housing or employment bias could face legal challenges. The Manhattan Institute has not commented publicly on the Florida law.
But the trajectory is clear. The model bill has become a template for a national movement. State legislators have introduced nearly identical language in at least a half-dozen states.
The institute’s influence on federal policy on gender-affirming care adds another layer. The HHS framework, developed in consultation with MI, has drawn sharp criticism from medical groups and LGBTQ+ organizations.
What started as a policy paper in 2023 is now law in Florida and under consideration elsewhere. The Manhattan Institute, which had no strong focus on LGBTQ+ issues before the 2020s, has found a new, effective line of attack. It is not a fringe operation.
It is a mainstream think tank with a long history of shaping conservative policy. Its model bill on DEI is the latest tool in that work. The consequences are being felt from Tallahassee to New York City.
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