LGBTQ Iowans have been in the crossfire in recent years, and I’ve had the chance to document how their rights have come under attack and how people have responded.
Interviewing LGBTQ students and sharing their stories has been important to me for years, especially in light of laws passed that affect them. They trusted me with personal information and told me I made them feel comfortable to share personal issues, and I’m glad I could do that service.

News

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  Ankeny Students Stand Up for Their Right to Read Diverse Books, December 2021
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  Urbandale ‘First Shoe To Drop’ In Iowa School Book Bans, August 2023
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  7 Iowa families file federal lawsuit to stop anti-LGBTQ+ law, November 2023
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  Parents Sue Linn-Mar School District Over Policy Supporting Trans, Non-Binary Students, August 2022
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  New Pride mural in Des Moines to ‘roll out the welcome mat’ for LGBTQ+ community, May 2024
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  Iowa AG defends other states discriminating against trans athletes, August 2024

Impact Coverage

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  ‘It Hurts.’ LGBTQ Linn-Mar Students React To Controversy Over School Policy, September 2022
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  Trans Iowa Student Stands Up to Governor. Here’s How She Did It, May 2023
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  Sioux City Valedictorian Used Speech To Stand Up For LGBTQ Rights, June 2023
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  ‘We will not go back’ protestors chant outside anti-LGBTQ bill hearing, February 2024

Series about book banning, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law

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  4 Iowa LGBTQ+ Students and the New State Laws Upending Their Lives, March 2023, part one
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  LGBTQ Youth Found Support At Iowa Schools. Now It’s Gone, March 2023, part two
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  Banning Education Won’t Make LGBTQ People Go Away, Students Say, March 2023, part three