My pride as a University of Iowa alumna is typically front and center. But this week, I was disappointed and not proud to be a Hawkeye as they stood by in silence and let some of their female athletes be thrown under the bus — for no apparent reason.

Today, March 2, the Iowa legislature passed a law banning transgender girls and women from participating in school sports from kindergarten through college. This includes women who participate in Hawkeye athletics.

These women have been engaged in collegiate-level sports — without issue — for the past 15 years. But instead of standing up for their students, the UI, colleges and universities across the state, let this discriminatory and harmful law pass without a peep of pushback.

I attended the UI because of its welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ students and its top-notch programs. If the university — and the state — want to continue attracting and retaining a high-caliber workforce, they need to stop targeting the LGBTQ+ community with harmful, cruel, and discriminatory laws. They need to start focusing on the things that improve our state. I look forward to when I can proudly say again, “It’s great to be a Hawkeye.”

-Bethany Snyder, University of Iowa graduate, Class of 2000