The House Education Committee moved forward Wednesday with legislation that would prohibit instruction and materials on gender identity and sexual orientation for all K-12 students. HF 2121, approved 14-9, is an expansion of the 2023 ban on programs, material, instruction, surveys and questionnaires and “promotion” related to gender identity and sexual orientation for K-6 students. […]
GSA
Posted inCommunity/News
Foreseeing ‘irreparable harm,’ federal judge blocks most of Iowa’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law with preliminary injunction
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction late on Thursday, blocking parts of the anti-LGBTQ education bill signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May 2023. SF 496 attracted nationwide attention for its school book ban provision, but it went well beyond that, making changes to state law to effectively erase almost any acknowledgment […]
Posted inCommunity/News
LGBTQ students were taunted and harassed during Linn-Mar’s homecoming parade
Linn-Mar High School’s annual homecoming parade in Marion on Wednesday was supposed to be a joyous occasion for students in the parade and spectators along the route. There was even an extra reason to celebrate this year, with the restoration of the school’s Armstrong bell that’s been rung every time the Linn-Mar Lions score a […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
‘There’s a difference between a safe space and a brave space’: Q&A with Waukee GSA leader Naomi Pittman
Rarely are a student’s biggest bullies the governor and legislature of their state. But that’s the case for many queer K-12 students in Iowa, who are now subject to several laws passed by Iowa’s legislature and signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. Plenty of adults and talking heads will gladly share their opinions, but it’s young […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Amid an anti-LGBTQ culture war in Iowa schools, the GSA is a safe space — with constitutional protections
If you’ve seen a student-organized drag show or queer rights protest over the past couple decades, odds are a GSA is behind it. GSAs — gender-sexuality alliances — serve as both social clubs and advocacy orgs for LGBTQ students, those questioning their identity and straight, cisgender allies in middle school, high school and college, and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Your Village: What’s happening at the old post office on Clinton Street?
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