Following Governor Kim Reynolds’ (R) signing of House File 538 (HF538), which stripped away gender identity from the state’s civil rights protections, over 100 people rallied in Grinnell’s Central Park to protest the bill. The S&B’s Editor-in-Chief Charlotte Krone `25 interviewed community members on and off campus to ask them about cultivating networks of support in Grinnell during this trying time.
Ren Fisher
Ren Fisher, 25, former owner of now-closed Poweshiek Trading Post, outside of Saint’s Rest Coffeehouse. (
Rihaan Bhansali)
I think of older folks, and inherently I stereotype them as not being — in my town — friendly towards queer people or just not safe. I automatically have that stereotype in my head. And at the protest [in Central Park against HF583], I would say, like 75 people were over the age of 60. And it was a church, the church that put it on. And I was like, cool — yes! Because growing up how I did, I do not equate the church with being friendly. I think of it as being extremely homophobic. So that was a really beautiful thing to see.
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Micho Adler
Micho Adler, Assistant Director of Intercultural Affairs and LGBTQIA+ Student Specialist poses inside of the Stonewall Resource Center (SRC). (
Rihaan Bhansali)
I do my best to follow legislation so that I can go to the statehouse to protest the next awful bill, or write to our reps. When there is an opportunity to testify against an anti-trans bill, usually my wife will go and testify so that I can stay in Grinnell just in case she gets arrested — or worse — so that I can be here for our daughter. It is incredibly stressful but if we give up things will get much worse. As for other political actions, gathering community and allies in Grinnell and setting up multiple levels of queer mutual aid is crucial for our survival. As much as it sucks to experience hate from other community members, it is still more important to be visible for the trans and queer community members who are out there.
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Jordan Reznick
Jordan Reznick, Assistant Professor of American Studies poses in the Humanities and Social Studies Center (HSSC). (
Rihaan Bhansali)
“We have a tendency in a time like this to try to give hopeful messages, and it’s really important to do that. But I also think it’s really important for us to say right now that like, we don’t know what’s going to happen. Things are really bad. Things could get much, much, much worse, and people are right to feel upset and afraid about that, and also we’ve already come so, so far. I don’t want to give a rosy, ‘It’s all going to be okay! We’re just going to keep fighting!’ But I also want to be like, ‘We’re going to keep fighting,’ and here’s the number for Trans Lifeline.”
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Kelsey Sandeno
Kelsey Sandeno, 38, Moderator for the Governing Board of the United Church of Christ (UCC) poses inside of Saint’s Rest Coffeehouse. (
Rihaan Bhansali)
“I go to the UCC, and the Sunday after the election, a handful of us were sitting there – we have coffee time for parents while kids are at Sunday school, which is before church — and we were just sitting there staring at each other, like ‘What do we do now?’ And Liz Rodrigues being the amazing activist that she is, was like, ‘Well, let’s do something. Let’s not just sit here, let’s start a group.’ And so five of us sat down and we planned the first meeting, the idea being: let’s not reinvent the wheel. What is going on around us that we can join in? And then if there is a space where nothing’s being done, that’s where you start something new. But don’t start something new just because you want to start something — because there are so many amazing people out there who are already doing the work and who just need more bodies.”
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Rev. Wendy Abrahamson
Reverend Wendy Abrahamson poses in front of stain glass inside of St. Paul’s Episcopalian Church. (
Rihaan Bhansali)
“In my work as a lobbyist for the church, we follow a select number of issues every session. Currently we are following immigration, education, the environment, and more, including LGBTQ+ issues. We declare support or opposition to bills in the statehouse, lobby lawmakers in-person about once a week, and speak at subcommittee hearings when the issue is very important. Our bishop, The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, spoke at two hearings last week in opposition to the bill that recently passed to remove transgender Iowans from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. I am proud to say there were many Episcopalians, clergy and lay folks, among the 2500 people present at the statehouse in support of the transgender community on the day the Iowa legislature passed those cruel bills.”
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