Letters to the editor: Hawkeye women’s basketball brings us all together
The anti-trans bathroom bill is anti-children
Iowa's anti-trans bathroom bill traumatizes trans children. In a nutshell, the law tells people in our community that they do not have the right to exist. Little kids, who know exactly who they are, who had the courage to explain their heart to our republican legislators, were disregarded. Their parents, who explained how their children's lives were saved by the acceptance of their identity, were ignored.
The bathroom bill requires schools to designate bathrooms and locker rooms by "sex," as determined by an official birth certificate, effective immediately. When I called the governor's office on March 23 to request guidelines for the new law, and resources to support the children in our district, I was told "we do not have guidelines."
Parents sent their children to school that Thursday, not knowing what to tell them. And trans children went to school wondering if they would have to use a bathroom or locker room according to their birth certificate (some, for the first time). If a reader does not consider this traumatizing per se, I'm not sure how to connect with you (but there are some Republican legislators who can).
As we suspected, more harmful and bigoted legislation is still likely to pass in April. Senate File 496 requires school district employees to immediately notify parents if the employee believes a student has expressed a gender different from their birth certificate. Let that sink in. The bill would require district employees to assess … whether a child … is acting like a boy or a girl. Have we lost our minds?
Here's the thing, this is only the beginning. Iowa's governor and our Republican legislators (with some courageous exceptions) are following a national GOP playbook that is built on hating and blaming "the other," whether its people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ+, or women. Comparisons to 1930s Germany are not hyperbolic.
I am proud of the Iowa City Community School District’s response to the anti-trans legislation. Remember, our governor is warring against public education. She and most Republican legislators are looking for ways to undermine the education of the masses. The district must follow the law. But also remember that public education embraces every child. The ICCSD loves our trans children and employees. We will find ways to support and protect them.
Maka Pilcher Hayek, school board member, Iowa City Community School District
Community reading of MLK speech is April 4
Speak and listen to the words of Martin Luther King Jr., the words he spoke at Riverside church 56 years ago, just one year to the day before he was assassinated. King’s speech on April 4, 1967, has been called “Beyond Vietnam.” It is recognized as one of the great speeches in American history, and its messages resonate in today’s chaotic world. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” He warned of “the giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism, and militarism.” There is so much in his speech for us to digest.
Veterans For Peace #161 i sponsoring a community reading of the Riverside speech on Tuesday, April 4. That speech, and excerpts from his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, delivered in Memphis the night before he was killed, will be read multiple times between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. at the fountain area of the Iowa City Ped Mall. The public is invited to read parts of the speeches, or to listen. Folks may come and go as they wish.
Ed Flaherty, Iowa City
Stop Republicans so we can stop gun violence
Another heartbreaking school shooting, this one occurring in Nashville where three innocent children and three adults were shot down in cold blood by a mentally ill individual who bought weapons legally because of our country's lax gun laws that allow this carnage to continue almost on a daily basis now in our country. Will America ever wake up?
I hold every Republican in Congress who will not vote for stricter gun laws as directly contributing to the deaths of these children inside our schools. Furthermore, our insensitive misguided Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds states that stricter gun laws will not stop these killings. Reynolds also enacted legislation last year that allows gun owners to purchase a weapon without a background check or even obtaining a permit. How concerning is that?
It's time for people in America to take action and vote Republicans out of Congress in 2024, which will enable the Democratic Party to pass gun legislation that at least will make an attempt to put an end to this ongoing American nightmare.
Julie Spencer, Coralville
Hawkeye women bring us all together
I am not a fan of the divisive politics and policies coming out of Washington, D.C., and Des Moines. But, we as Iowans have something we can all be extremely proud of: the Iowa Hawkeye women's basketball team.
Lisa Bluder and her staff are dedicated, hardworking and caring professionals. They work every day to make their student athletes better ball players and better individuals. The players are smart, articulate, determined and amazing young women. Oh, and did I mention they play the game of basketball extremely well!
Congratulations to the Iowa Hawkeye women's basketball team on earning a berth to the Final Four in Texas. Go Hawks!
Steve Russett, Iowa City
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Letters to the editor: Iowa women’s basketball brings us all together
