Do Something
With midterm elections just a few weeks away, One Iowa Action is urging everyone to stand up for the LGBTQ community, ensuring equal rights for all in Iowa.
Bethany Snyder is no stranger to inaction. A self-described “strategist, activist, optimist” and owner/founder of Snyder Strategies, she counsels non-profits and social justice organizations on how to be better advocates for their causes.
She also advocates for causes important to her, particularly those affecting the LGBTQ community. Snyder was recently named chair of One Iowa Action, and she co-leads Central Iowa Rainbow Families which provides support and opportunities for LGBTQ-identified parents.
Snyder’s advocacy efforts are personal, as much as they are professional. She’s a lesbian and her partner, Kris, a transgender man. The couple has one child, a middle schooler who is gender fluid.
On Oct. 12, Snyder took to Facebook to sound the alarm about something she felt needed immediate attention. Ticket sales to One Iowa Action’s fall fundraiser were lagging. Only a dozen had been sold and with just eight days until the event, that was simply unacceptable.
“I am actually quite upset,” she wrote. “I don’t know if the people of Iowa fully understand how laws are made (or prevented, but One Iowa Action prevents dozens of bills each year that would harm our community.”
The fundraiser featured a meet and greet with Iowa’s own Andrew Fuller, winner of the Netflix hit, “Is It Cake?” Fuller, with his green hair and colorfully-dyed beard, flashy spectacles and eclectic wardrobe, is the iconic owner of Sugar Freakshow, a home bakery on Des Moines’ south side. He’s also queer and something of an icon to queer youth who follow him on social media.
But Snyder’s frustration wasn’t about the lack of tickets sold to see Fuller, it was that heading into the midterm elections, the rights of LGBTQ Iowans would again be under attack and One Iowa Action would need time, talent and money to take on the fight.
“Yeah, it was a moment of frustration,” she admitted. “I know it's not the best way to sell tickets, but I really was feeling passionate about it. I was like, ‘We are so lucky to have this organization. Iowa is not a complete shit show because of One Iowa Action.’”
17 Years of Advocacy
One Iowa, the parent organization of One Iowa Action, was founded in 2005 to advocate for LGBTQ Iowans’ right to marry. When the Iowa Supreme Court voted to legalize same sex marriage in 2009, One Iowa shifted its efforts toward advocating for equal access to health care and the needs of Iowa’s aging LGBTQ population, among other priorities.
But 17 years later, the fight’s certainly not over. One Iowa continues to educate Iowans from all walks of life to recognize and respect the needs of the LGBTQ community.
One Iowa Action, formed in 2017, takes these efforts to the next level through policy work, voter education and advocacy, lobbying state and local government to advance and protect the rights of LGBTQ Iowans through legislation.
With the midterm elections coming up in November, One Iowa Action is endorsing candidates that align with the group’s policy priorities and urging voters to cast a vote for those they’ve vetted. According to One Iowa executive director, Courtney Reyes, action is needed now more than ever before.
“There's no relief—it's only ramped up and it's going to get worse,” she said of current political tensions and their effect on the LGTBQ community in Iowa. “In 2019, Iowa led the nation in anti-LGBTQ bills with 14 or 15, and that number doubled in the last session. This is not just an Iowa trend, it’s a national trend, and we have states like Texas and Florida who have just really taken over, but that doesn't mean that we won’t see more harmful things coming our way.”
“A significant number of bills introduced in the legislature are anti-LGBTQ bills. Most of those target the trans community and a majority of those bills target transgender youth. These are just playbooks—national talking points, national wedge issues—and they’re being used to divide our country.”
Reyes, who’s been at One Iowa for five years (three as executive director), says divisive politics have many LGBTQ Iowans feeling unsafe, disrespected and fearful of living in Iowa.
“It’s really tough for us to get anything positive passed because we're just spending so much time on the defense. So, right now, instead of lobbying people to do a conversion therapy ban, I'm lobbying the business community to get on board with diversity, equity and inclusion,” Reyes said. “I'm just trying to get people to give a damn. Like, that’s literally how I end most of my conversations—’I just need you to care.’ I’m trying to convince people that we deserve to live with respect and dignity and not in fear. And when your government writes legislation that does the opposite, it’s just a huge sign that you are not welcome here.”
There’s No Better Time to Act
Reyes said it’s easy to get complacent when things look bleak, but that’s exactly when she says you should take action.
“I think we're in a tough spot. Our state continues to elect people who are not supportive of the LGBTQ community, that are on board with banning books and school choice and some of these issues that really impact the LGBTQ community,” she said. “It can’t just be something you talk about. We need the public support. People are listening and watching and they need to see that you care about these issues.”
Reyes recommends that people start by reaching out to their state representative to start the conversation.
“We also need folks to start talking about what they believe in. As soon as the elections are over and you know who's going to be your house representative or state senator, reach out to them, get a meeting on the books with them, go for coffee. This is the time to talk to them and tell them that you do not support this anti LGBTQ legislation.”
Snyder agrees that people need to take immediate action when it comes to electing Iowa’s leaders who will lobby for the LGBTQ community. It’s why she was so vocal about increasing the turnout at One Iowa Action’s fundraiser last week.
“I think there’s a sense that most LGBTQ people are politically active, but it's just not the case,” Snyder said. “We're just as non-politically active as the rest of the country, even though I sometimes feel that the stakes are higher. I feel this incredible desire and passion to educate my own community about why this is important—to demystify the process. Let them know that it's not this far away thing that you have to watch from the sidelines, but that you can be engaged. It’s not hard and can be incredibly impactful.”
What Inspires Me?
I attended the One Iowa Action fundraiser last week. I’d purchased my tickets well before Bethany Snyder posted on Facebook and was pleasantly surprised to see dozens of folks there, eager to make an impact through advocacy. Snyder spoke that night and I was blown away at how passionately she shared her vision for a better Iowa, a place where she needn’t worry how she and her family would be received. I also met Andrew Fuller who took time out of his very busy schedule to be a part of One Iowa Action’s efforts to turn out voters. He spoke about growing up a “queer, weird kid” who only got “queerer and weirder” as he got older. He assured us all that this was indeed a good thing and he proved it by graciously taking pictures, signing autographs and chatting it up with folks milling about Star Bar. His enthusiasm was infectious and I left there with hope that no matter which way you vote, things will get better with more people like the folks at One Iowa Action leading the charge.
If you want to help One Iowa Action lobby for LGBTQ rights in Iowa, visit https://oneiowaaction.org/give/.
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Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
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