On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the University of Iowa to restore a Christian group’s status as an official student organization. Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC), which was founded in the Tippie College of Business in 2014, had its designation as an official student organization revoked in 2017
LGBTQ
Posted inCommunity/News
Steve King successfully pushed to erase protection for LGBTQ Americans in NAFTA revision
The revision of NAFTA signed by President Donald Trump, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in Buenos Aires on Friday contains a ground-breaking provision regarding LGBTQ rights. But thanks in part to pressure from Rep. Steve King and 39 other rightwing members of Congress, that provision won’t apply […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘I sure as hell won’t be erased’: South East Junior High students march for transgender rights on Election Day
As people crowded into polling places on the University of Iowa’s campus on Tuesday afternoon, a group of students from Iowa City’s South East Junior High School marched to the campus to show support for transgender rights. Two eighth-graders, Sam and Lucas, mounted the steps of Schaeffer Hall to rally their fellow students, who had […]
Posted inCommunity/News
As Republicans work to remove trans and nonbinary gender protections, Iowa City will host a ‘Don’t Erase’ rally
On Wednesday, the Justice Department filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that said business owners should be allowed to discriminate against transgender workers. Representing the Trump administration, Solicitor General Noel Francisco discarded the position the Justice Department has previously held, and argued in the brief there is nothing in federal law preventing such discrimination.
Posted inCommunity/News
Trump administration may change the definition of gender to eliminate protection for transgender people
On Sunday, the New York Times reported the Trump administration is considering erasing the rights of transgender gender under federal law by “narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.”
Posted inCommunity/News
Nobody should have to hide who they are: Ashley Lindley and the lessons of One Iowa’s LGBTQ Leadership Institute
When Ashley Lindley applied to be part of One Iowa’s LGBTQ Leadership Institute, she felt uncertain. It wasn’t the prospect of six months of regularly commuting from Iowa City to Des Moines for training sessions that concerned her.
Posted inOpinion
Stop asking people when they are going to get married
“So, when are you going to get married?” Whether you’re in a long-term relationship or single, you’ve likely fielded this question. It’s a big question, sometimes softened with a playful nudge or wink, but can be less than fun to answer, and not just for the proverbial bachelor afraid of commitment. The underlying assumption is […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Under the bisexual umbrella
I recently had a coffee date with my friend Alison, with whom I share an interest (or should I say obsession) in talking about all things sex and sexuality. Alison, a University of Iowa lecturer, told me about several questions she poses to her human sexuality classes.After her students list qualities or characteristics they look for in an ideal partner, she asks how many have had the experience of being really attracted to someone until they got to know them. This is almost a universal experience. She
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids’ Xavier High School upholds Catholic doctrine at the expense of LGBTQ students
On March 21, an article published in Washington High School’s newspaper, The Surveyor, split the Cedar Rapids community in two. “The Fight for LGBTQ Rights” by Sarah Altemeier and Quinn Wilcox centered around an open letter written by former Xavier High School student Landon Santel. Santel transferred to Washington for his junior year after “facing […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Sexuality, gossip, confusion and Catholic school
I don’t need another drink but say I need another drink as I read the situation, one I’ve found myself facing for the past year or so. I’m attracted to women, but don’t know how to view it without a lens. Media portrayals say it’s hot, Catholicism says it’s not. Sexuality clouded by a sea of confusion.
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds says Iowans ‘should probably’ get to vote on same-sex marriage, but her office says she doesn’t mean it
On Tuesday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said “from the very beginning” her position on same-sex marriage has been “it probably should go to a vote of the people and they should weigh in.” Later that afternoon, the governor’s spokesperson said the governor doesn’t believe what she said she believes, and that Reynolds accepts the legality of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Judge rules Iowa’s prohibition on Medicaid coverage for gender-reassignment procedures is unconstitutional
On Wednesday, Polk County Chief District Judge Arthur Gamble ruled a provision in Iowa law prohibiting the use of Medicaid funds for gender-reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors “violates the ICRA [Iowa Civil Rights Act] and the Iowa Constitution.” Gamble issued his ruling in a lawsuit brought by two transgender Iowans, Carol Ann Beal […]
