The State of Utah Just Banned This Women’s Climbing Night

A weekly sanctuary for aspiring women and nonbinary climbers at Utah State University (USU) vanished last week—not due to lack of interest or funding, but because it’s now outlawed in the state of Utah. Officials canceled the popular Women’s Climb Night program to comply with Utah’s new anti-Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) legislation, which prohibits state-funded institutions from offering gender-specific programming.

For the last five years, Tuesday nights at USU’s Aggie Recreation Center staged a Women’s Climb Night at its climbing gym to support women and nonbinary individuals in not only learning technical skills, but in finding a community to call their own in a traditionally male-dominated sport. Founded by USU alum Jill Woodhouse, anywhere from 15-35 climbers gathered at the campus wall.

For many, these sessions offered newer climbers their first real chance to learn the sport in a welcoming environment. That all changed when HB261, backed by Rep. Katy Hall and Sen. Keith Grover, took effect on July 1, 2024. The new law, dubbed “Equal Opportunity Initiatives,” bars state-funded institutions from operating programs based on specific demographics.

While the cancellation of women’s Tuesday climb nights is a blow to USU students, the changes reach much further. Across the state, Utah must restructure demographic-specific trips, clinics, and activities.

When I arrived at USU’s Aggie Recreation Center for interviews, student climbers were already waiting. They’d heard why I was there: To understand what losing Women’s Climb Night meant to them. I spoke with six climbers, and their eagerness to share their stories speaks volumes about what Tuesday nights had meant to this community.

The collective voice of these USU climbers points to something bigger than a canceled program. This was about belonging, about finding your place in a sport that can feel intimidating to break into.

“Women’s Climb Night was my first introduction to climbing, and it was such a good way to introduce me to the sport,” says senior Kate McDonald. “It’s just more supportive and I wasn’t as scared and intimidated to try climbing.”

The program also fostered a unique environment, says junior Anna Rupper. “It was a place you could go and be supported, try new things, and grow as a climber.” But the impact extended beyond the climbing wall. Lucy Hankins, a junior and a trip leader of USU’s Outdoor Program, recalls weekend demographic-based group trips through USU’s Outdoor Program, which are now also prohibited. These outings, she explains, “not only break down the barrier of women being in the sport, but also the technical barriers that typically make this sport harder to break into.”

Now USU faces a paradox: Could removing programs supposedly intended to level the field actually make sports like climbing less accessible? For student Zoe Klein, the loss extends beyond climbing itself: “I met some of my best friends there [at Women’s Climb Night], and it makes me so sad that it’s no longer there.”

While USU spokesperson Amanda DeRito emphasizes the university’s continued commitment to fostering welcoming spaces, specific alternatives to Women’s Climb Night remain unclear. “We are looking for other ways to make people feel included,” says DeRito.

The university has, for example, suggested student clubs as an alternative, but that solution isn’t straightforward. “With just a club, we don’t have the resources,” explains nursing major Anna Rupper. “The outdoor program provided the space and gear and made it accessible to everyone.”

Sydney Lenssen, an outdoor product design student, adds that clubs might exclude the very people these programs served best: “Most of the climbers at Women’s Climb Night were beginners … to have a club, you have to already be integrated into the sport.”

Another university administrator, Katie Burns, acknowledges these concerns. “The challenge with clubs is that students would have to pay additionally to have the climbing wall to themselves,” Burns explains. Still, she remains hopeful: “We are looking at our students to help us be creative and find ways to meet their needs while following the guidelines.”

Caroline Gleich, a professional ski mountaineer and activist who recently ran for the US Senate, sees the “Equal Opportunities” legislation as a misalignment of priorities in a state facing far bigger challenges. She noted that Utah currently holds the nation’s largest gender wage gap, with women earning barely three-quarters of what men do.

Yet instead of addressing this disparity or tackling Salt Lake’s notorious air quality crisis, lawmakers have trained their sights on dismantling programs that were successfully opening doors for underrepresented groups.

The loss of Women’s Climb Night reveals the complex tension between diversity initiatives and new legislation. What was once a supportive pathway into climbing has become a casualty of HB261, challenging how we create inclusive spaces for marginalized athletes in traditionally exclusive sports.

As these structured entry points disappear, the question becomes: Will future students still find their way to the wall, or will they walk past, thinking climbing isn’t for them?

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