On Thursday, the Iowa House approved a bill that prohibits local governments from having any civil rights ordinances that provide greater protections for rights than state law does. Eliminating the power of local governments to protect the rights of transgender and nonbinary people is one of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ stated priorities for her final legislative session as governor.
Aime Wichtendahl
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Conversion therapy, affirmative action bills pass Iowa House
The Iowa House passed two measures Wednesday that Democrats and opponents said would harm marginalized populations, including transgender Iowans, throughout the state. HF 2557 creates exemptions to the definitions of “child abuse” and “child endangerment” in Iowa Code for a parent’s response to a child whose gender identity does not align with their sex assigned […]
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Iowa House Republicans advance bills to eliminate local civil rights protections, allow parents to force LGBTQ kids into ‘conversion therapy’
Republican members of two Iowa House Judiciary subcommittees advanced two bills on Monday that continue the anti-LGBTQ agenda Gov. Kim Reynolds and legislative Republicans have enshrined in state law since 2022. As the hearings were underway, supporters of transgender rights and advocates for LGBTQ Iowans protested in the rotunda and halls of the State Capitol. […]
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What’s the point of Pride? Trans/genderfluid Iowans discuss persistence, fear and how to spite the bigots in power
Dr. Emma Denney (she/they) is the community resource navigator at the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library in Iowa City. She regularly tracks anti-LGBTQ+ bills in the state legislature, traveling to Des Moines to speak against them. She holds a Ph.D. in composition from the University of Iowa and makes music under the name .em. V […]
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Iowa House lawmakers clash over legislation restricting DEI at public, private colleges; bills pass
When debating the first of many pieces of legislation targeting diversity, equity and inclusion Tuesday in the Iowa House, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, said she’s already heard from individuals and groups seeing the negative impacts of stripping away DEI at Iowa colleges and universities. An Iowa State University professor was asked to stop requiring students […]
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Election 2024: Trump and the GOP dominate Iowa, Wichtendahl makes history and Johnson County secures conservation
Donald Trump won Iowa in a landslide, as he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to win the 2024 presidential election. This was Trump’s third run for president, and he has won Iowa each time. Each time he has also increased the margin by which he won the state. According to unofficial vote totals from the […]
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History-making Hiawatha City Councilmember Aime Wichtendahl is running for the Iowa House
Hiawatha City Councilmember Aime Wichtendahl is running for the Iowa House of Representatives in District 80. Democrat Art Staed currently represents the Linn County district, which cover Hiawatha, Robins and part of Cedar Rapids, but he announced last week he’s running for the Iowa Senate seat held by fellow Democrat Todd Taylor, who, in turn, […]
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Aime Wichtendahl, Iowa’s first trans elected official, reflects on coming out, her run for Hiawatha City Council and Iowa’s COVID-19 failures
Aime Wichtendahl didn’t run for office until 2015, but she’s been intrigued by politics for more than three decades. “When I was 8 years old, I remember following the ’88 presidential election between Bush and Dukakis,” she said. “And interestingly, I was really mad at my parents for voting for Dukakis. Which is weird now […]
