Students at Iowa State University held a funeral on Wednesday for the school's LGBTQ+ center, which was forced to close due to a bill banning funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
A crowd of around 50 people donned in black gathered outside Parks Library yesterday afternoon to mourn the loss of Iowa State's Center for LGBTQIA+ Student Success, also known as “The Center." The group gathered around a coffin decorated with an LGBTQ+ Pride flag, as many carried flags of their own.
The Center was forced to shut down by Senate File 2435, which bans "any effort to promote, as the official position of the public institution of higher education, a particular, widely contested opinion referencing unconscious or implicit bias, cultural appropriation, allyship, transgender ideology, microaggressions, group marginalization, antiracism, systemic oppression, social justice, intersectionality, neo-pronouns, heteronormativity, disparate impact, gender theory, racial privilege, sexual privilege, or any related formulation of these concepts."
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What began in November, 1992 as the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Student Services (LGBTSS) — later rebranded to the Center in 2019 — is now a general reservable study space. The Center is still listed as open on ISU's website, though its description has been changed since the start of the calendar year.
The Center page previously described it as "a welcoming space on students for students to explore who they are and be better equipped to succeed at Iowa State and beyond." It now states that it is "a welcoming space for all students as they work torward [sic] their academic goals."
SF 2435 is set to take effect July 1, 2025, though the Iowa Board of Regents imposed a Dec. 31, 2024 deadline to eliminate programs and resources such as the Center. Iowa State student Silvera Dudenhoefer said at the protest Wednesday, via The Ames Tribune, that the decision shows "who they're willing to push aside in an effort to comply."
"It was a space that celebrated queer joy and accomplishment, academically and personally," Dudenhoefer said. "Above all, it was a clear mark that LGBTQIA+ students mattered to this school."
