LGBTQ Archives | Little Village

Grinnell College students are collecting interviews with LGBTQ Iowans for oral histories project

Posted on Jun 4, 2019 by Mike Kuhlenbeck

June 28 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York City, an event that catapulted the struggle for LGBTQ rights into the public consciousness. Of course, this struggle did not begin with Stonewall, or end with any law or Supreme Court decision — nor is LGBTQ history limited to high-profile protests in big cities. A dedicated group of Grinnell College students and their professor are […]

Gov. Kim Reynolds signs bill that cuts off Medicaid funds for gender confirmation procedures

Posted on May 3, 2019 by Paul Brennan

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill on Friday that contained a provision overturning a March ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court striking down the state’s ban on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors. The justices ruled unanimously that the ban violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act […]

Mount Mercy president cancels student-organized drag show, amidst promises for more ‘compassion’ towards LGBTQ community

Posted on Apr 25, 2019 by Emma McClatchey

Update, April 26: A drag show with the same performers, scheduled for May 3 at 7 p.m., has been announced with Rich Heritage of Cedar Rapids Theatre as the host and venue. The event is free with a $5 suggested donation. Proceeds will still benefit Iowa Safe Schools. A May 3 drag show and fundraiser […]

How a divorce helped kick-start marriage equality in Iowa

Posted on Apr 3, 2019 by Paul Brennan

The path to marriage equality in Iowa started with a divorce. Kimberly Brown and Jennifer Perez traveled from their home in western Iowa to Vermont in 2002 to be joined in a civil union, a substitute for traditional civic marriages Vermont created for same-sex couples in 2000. […]

Iowa Supreme Court strikes down state’s ban on Medicaid paying for gender affirmation procedures

Posted on Mar 8, 2019 by Paul Brennan

In a unanimous decision issued on Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the state’s prohibition on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors violates the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The decision confirms a district court judge’s ruling in June 2018, striking down the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) rule against paying for such procedures. […]

Judge orders University of Iowa to reinstate Christian group accused of anti-LGBTQ discrimination as an official student group

Posted on Feb 8, 2019 by Paul Brennan

On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the University of Iowa to restore a Christian group’s status as an official student organization. Business Leaders in Christ (BLinC), which was founded in the Tippie College of Business in 2014, had its designation as an official student organization revoked in 2017 […]

Steve King successfully pushed to erase protection for LGBTQ Americans in NAFTA revision

Posted on Dec 5, 2018 by Paul Brennan

The revision of NAFTA signed by President Donald Trump, President Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada in Buenos Aires on Friday contains a ground-breaking provision regarding LGBTQ rights. But thanks in part to pressure from Rep. Steve King and 39 other rightwing members of Congress, that provision won’t apply […]

‘I sure as hell won’t be erased’: South East Junior High students march for transgender rights on Election Day

Posted on Nov 7, 2018 by Paul Brennan

As people crowded into polling places on the University of Iowa’s campus on Tuesday afternoon, a group of students from Iowa City’s South East Junior High School marched to the campus to show support for transgender rights. Two eighth-graders, Sam and Lucas, mounted the steps of Schaeffer Hall to rally their fellow students, who had […]

As Republicans work to remove trans and nonbinary gender protections, Iowa City will host a ‘Don’t Erase’ rally

Posted on Oct 25, 2018 by Paul Brennan

On Wednesday, the Justice Department filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that said business owners should be allowed to discriminate against transgender workers. Representing the Trump administration, Solicitor General Noel Francisco discarded the position the Justice Department has previously held, and argued in the brief there is nothing in federal law preventing such discrimination. […]

Trump administration may change the definition of gender to eliminate protection for transgender people

Posted on Oct 22, 2018 by Paul Brennan

On Sunday, the New York Times reported the Trump administration is considering erasing the rights of transgender gender under federal law by “narrowly defining gender as a biological, immutable condition determined by genitalia at birth.” […]

Nobody should have to hide who they are: Ashley Lindley and the lessons of One Iowa’s LGBTQ Leadership Institute

Posted on Oct 10, 2018 by Paul Brennan

When Ashley Lindley applied to be part of One Iowa’s LGBTQ Leadership Institute, she felt uncertain. It wasn’t the prospect of six months of regularly commuting from Iowa City to Des Moines for training sessions that concerned her. […]

Stop asking people when they are going to get married

Posted on Aug 15, 2018 by Natalie Benway

“So, when are you going to get married?” Whether you’re in a long-term relationship or single, you’ve likely fielded this question. It’s a big question, sometimes softened with a playful nudge or wink, but can be less than fun to answer, and not just for the proverbial bachelor afraid of commitment. The underlying assumption is […]

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