Local nonbinary musicians Miss Christine and Alma Drake were feeling the urgency of the moment — urgency brought on by anti-LGBTQ legislation and rhetoric on both local and national fronts. So when the two got together to collaborate, the fruits of their labor manifested with “Indoctrination,” a slow-burning, blues-tinged tune they hope will become the […]
transgender rights
Posted inCommunity/News
Appeals court hears arguments on injunction blocking Iowa school book law
Attorneys for the state of Iowa and civil liberties groups clashed in court Tuesday over an injunction blocking enforcement of a law that restricts school libraries from carrying books with material related to sex acts, sexuality and gender. The injunction was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher in December 2023, days before enforcement […]
Posted inEastern Iowa Community/News
Photos: The Southeast Iowa Trans Day of Visibility Rally at College Green Park
Photos from the SE Iowa Trans Day of Visibility Rally at College Green Park in Iowa City on Sunday, March 31. The celebration featured speakers, community organizations, and a performance by the Quire.
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Trans Day of Visibility 2024 in Iowa City includes a variety show, art workshop and rally featuring the JoCo7
There will be a rally on Sunday to celebrate Trans Day of Visibility at College Green Park in Iowa City, featuring speakers discussing the issues facing transgender Iowans, as well as a performance by the Quire of Eastern Iowa. The Southeast Iowa Trans Day of Visibility (TDOV) is one of the celebrations that will be […]
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Gov. Reynolds’ bill undermining transgender rights with new definitions of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in state law will not pass this year
Gov. Kim Reynolds’ bill that would change how state laws and regulations are made in ways that would undermine the rights of transgender people will not pass during this legislative session. HF 2389 would have needed to be passed by a committee in the Iowa Senate this week, in order to remain viable. But the […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Jury acquits Tara McGovern on all charges related to the Oct. 16 protest outside the Iowa Memorial Union
It took a Johnson County jury just a few hours on Thursday to decide Tara McGovern was not guilty of both charges for which they had been arrested last November. The charges against McGovern, who was referred to as Tara Dutcher, their married name, throughout the proceedings, were related to an Oct. 16 protest at the Iowa Memorial Union and attracted much local attention and were even covered by the Washington Post.
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Poll shows opposition to Gov. Reynolds’ proposal to change transgender Iowans’ birth certificates
A plurality of Iowans oppose Gov. Kim Reynolds’ effort to change how the state issues birth certificates in order to identify transgender people, according to a new Iowa Poll. In the survey of 804 adults conducted by Selzer & Co. for the Des Moines Register and Mediacom, 49 percent opposed the proposed change, while 44 […]
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Making noise: Three Iowa musicians and trans activists discuss arrests, protest art and keeping the faith during a dire legislative session
Sarahann Kolder is an Iowa City-based artist working primarily with writing, music and video. She works at Prairie Lights. m (emma) denney is a sound artist, electronic musician, writer, and sometimes lies about being a composer. She makes noise, drone music, and long-form experimental art. Harry Manaligod (she/her) is a rapper, producer, painter, local fool, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Hundreds declare ‘we will not go silently’ as supporters of Gov. Reynolds’ HF 2389 complain trans people ‘need to go’; bill advances
It’s funnel week at the Iowa Capitol, so by Friday a bill needs to be approved by a committee in either the House or Senate to be considered for passage this legislative session. It’s supposedly a fixed deadline, but it’s really just an observed custom, because there are existing exceptions for certain bills — such […]
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‘Shouldn’t we be working on something more important in education?’: Republicans in House ed committee fast-track Gov. Reynolds’ bill targeting trans Iowans’ ID
Just a few days after Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced a sweeping bill targeting transgender and nonbinary Iowans, that bill is now eligible for a floor vote in the Iowa House. HSB 649, which the governor filed last Thursday, was approved by the House Education Committee on Tuesday on a party-line vote. All of the committee’s […]
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A bill protecting ‘teachers of faith’ from having to respect students’ or parents’ preferred pronouns advances as LGBTQ rights advocates rally
“They are trying to wear us down,” Courtney Reyes of One Iowa Action said about the raft of anti-LGBTQ legislation Republicans have introduced this year in the Iowa Legislature. “We’re not going anywhere.” Reyes, the executive director of the nonprofit that advocates on behalf of LGBTQ Iowans, was speaking at a rally in the Iowa […]
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‘It’s a matter of principle’: Tara McGovern prepares for trial as the only JoCo7 protester to not take a plea deal
Since coming to Iowa City in 1995 to attend the University of Iowa, Tara McGovern has made a name in the arts: a professional musician, well known as an accomplished fiddler, a music therapist, an arts instructor. At the same time, McGovern has also carved out a place as an activist for social justice causes, […]
