http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=2174828 Opponents seeing red over Iowa's pink locker room Associated Press IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The pink visitors' locker room at the University of Iowa's stadium is making some people see red. AP Photo The locker room for visiting football teams at Iowa is pretty in pink. Several professors and students joined the call Tuesday for the athletic department to do away with the pink showers, carpeting and lockers, a decades-long Hawkeye football tradition. Critics say the use of pink demeans women, perpetuates offensive stereotypes about women and homosexuality, and puts the university in the uncomfortable position of tacitly supporting those messages. ''I want the locker room gone,'' law school professor Jill Gaulding told a university committee studying the athletic department's compliance with NCAA standards, including gender equity. For decades, visiting football teams playing at Kinnick Stadium have dressed and showered in the pink locker room. The tradition was started by former Iowa coach Hayden Fry, a psychology major who said pink had a calming and passive effect on people. As part of the stadium's two-year, $88 million makeover, athletic officials took the former coach's interior decorating ideas to another level, splashing pink across the brick walls, shower floors and installing pink metal lockers, carpeting, sinks, showers and urinals. The controversy gained momentum and media attention last week when a visiting law school professor told reporters she had received death threats after voicing objections on her Web site.
We know Jill. She's sexually disadvantaged. Has been her entire adult life. The locker room has been pink since Jill was about 10. Of course, at 10, how would she know she had a problem? So she's bringing it up now. May God bless her in her time of need.
that's pretty cool. no way they should change it. if pink has a calming, cooling effect on people, what the hell does that have to do with sexism?? some people either have to much free time or need some serious lovin.
The last guy to get in trouble for pink was Sheriff Foti in NO. He used to make all the HIV positive prisoners wear pink jump suits. When he addressed the media, he made sure to wear a pink shirt and tie. Comments to "What's wrong with pink? I love to wear pink." It was like the rainbow brite brigade in that prison.
If I were them, rather than painting it a different color, I would add some hearts and flowers and crap like that. If pink demeans women, does blue demean men? What a stupid argument. Now we can't have Indians, or Spring colors in college football. Next they will outlaw jock straps because they constrict the players manhood.
