Latest news with #OneIowa
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Senate approves Gov. Kim Reynolds' appointees despite objections over LGBTQ stances
The Iowa Senate has confirmed several more of Gov. Kim Reynolds' appointees to state boards and commissions, including her picks to serve on the regulatory panel for controversial carbon capture pipelines and two picks for state civil and human rights panels. The Senate also approved an appointee to the Board of Regents governing of Iowa's public universities as well as the Board of Medicine and Board of Pharmacy. Confirming the governor's appointees to state boards and commissions requires approval from two-thirds of the 50-member Senate, which is controlled by Republicans. Iowa Senate Republicans confirmed two of the governor's appointees to state civil and human rights panels May 9 who were both opposed by One Iowa, the state's leading LGBTQ advocacy group. In a 34-16 vote on party lines, the Senate confirmed Cheryl Elsloo to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission that enforces the state's antidiscrimination law and Whitney Smith McIntosh to the Human Rights Board, which serves underrepresented groups across the state. One Iowa Executive Director Max Mowitz issued a statement in April sounding the alarm about the appointments and said "there should be some baseline requirements for the Human Rights Board and Civil Rights Commission, and those include supporting civil rights for everyone." Elsloo has been a lobbyist with Protect My Innocence, which bills itself as a nonprofit group that defends the innocence of Iowa minors. One Iowa called it an anti-LGBTQ hate group. She has lobbied in favor of earlier versions of legislation to remove gender identity as a protected class from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, criminalize bringing minors to drag shows and amend the Iowa Constitution to end same-sex marriage. The latter two measures have never advanced in any form in the Legislature, but Reynolds in February did sign a bill ending transgender Iowans' civil rights protections into law. The new law takes effect July 1. One Iowa said Smith McIntosh has a "history of making hurtful, inflammatory statements against LGBTQ Iowans." The Des Moines Register reported in July 2022 that some community members objected to some of Smith McIntosh's social media activity as anti-LGBTQ. She is a Southeast Polk school board member. She liked an image on Facebook from June 2022 that shows fire raining down on a city with the text "Fireworks in honor of Pride Month." The image appears to depict the Biblical story of God destroying Sodom and Gomorrah. In a comment on the post, Smith McIntosh wrote that any kind of pride is a sin that will invite the wrath of God. "Sexually confused people need help, respect and support to turn to God," she wrote under the post. She also commented on a March 2022 post about Lia Thomas, the University of Pennsylvania swimmer and a transgender woman whose success at the college national championships fueled debate over whether transgender female athletes participating in women's sports have an unfair advantage. "I say we refer to him by his biological name," Smith McIntosh wrote, misgendering Thomas. "Look, we understand that we aren't necessarily going to agree politically with everyone the governor appoints, that's a given," Mowitz said. "But this is more than just a political disagreement. This is about someone who can't even do the bare minimum to respect others. That is not someone who should be on the Human Rights Board." Sen. Claire Celsi, D-West Des Moines, was the only Senate Democrat to speak on any of the governor's appointments May 9. "I was originally planning on supporting Ms. Smith McIntosh," Celsi said. "Since then, I have heard some very disconcerting commentary of things that she has spoken about that are completely against, I believe, humanity, if you want to go there, and just very, very unflattering, so I cannot support this nomination." Smith McIntosh said in a statement that "people can say what they want, they can think what they want," but she was ultimately confirmed to the Human Rights Board. "I will be on this board for the next three years and I plan on doing everything I can to make sure that the human rights of all humans are honored and respected," Smith McIntosh said. "But first we need to define what a right is." Former Republican state Rep. Joshua Byrnes will serve a second term on the three-member Iowa Utilities Commission, which has come under fire from some Republican lawmakers for approving eminent domain use for a planned carbon capture pipeline. The Senate confirmed Byrnes May 13 for another term serving on the commission, 45-1, with Sen. Doug Campbell, R-Mason City, casting the sole vote against his appointment. Despite heated debates and divisions among Senate Republicans over the passage of a bill limiting eminent domain use for carbon pipelines, only one lawmaker rose to speak about his appointment. Sen. Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, said Byrnes had an "interesting ride" when the Senate confirmed his appointment to the panel four years ago. "Working with him at the UIC in this position, he is doing great work for the Iowa Utilities Commission for the state of Iowa as a board member of the Iowa Utilities Commission," Klimesh said. "He's very dedicated, he digs in, he's not afraid to tackle and solve complex issues." Several House and Senate Republican lawmakers have heavily criticized the commission's 2024 unanimous decision to grant Summit Carbon Solutions' permit to build a carbon capture pipeline across Iowa using eminent domain. Byrnes voted to approve the Summit pipeline's permits, but was also one of two board members who filed a dissent to a section of the pipeline he thought imposed a burden. "The North-South lateral runs approximately 123 miles through seven counties and impacts 118 eminent domain parcels — all of which are necessary to serve only one ethanol facility," Byrnes wrote. He was first appointed to the commission Nov. 30, 2020. Byrnes served in the Iowa House for six years starting in 2011. He attended Luther College and obtained a master's degree from Winona State University. The Senate also confirmed Christine Hensley, a Republican from Des Moines, to fill the empty seat left by former board President Mike Richards, who resigned in January 2024. Her term will expire April 30, 2027. Lawmakers confirmed Hensley May 9 on party lines, 34-16. She was previously a Des Moines City Council member and is president of the Iowa Student Loan Corp. Hensley was not one of the appointees that One Iowa shared concerns about. She attended Drake University and was awarded an honorary doctorate from Grand View University. The Iowa Senate took a bipartisan 43-3 vote to confirm Victoria Sharp, the deputy chief of staff of the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, for her first three-year term on the state Board of Medicine. Sharp has practiced medicine for over 20 years and received her medical degree from the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Tucson and a Master of Business Administration at the UI Tippie College of Business. Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, spoke in support of Sharp's confirmation, but criticized systemic problems with the Board of Medicine and the direction of health care policy in Iowa under Reynolds. "As many of you in the chamber have heard me say over and over, I am not pleased with how the Board of Medicine has been handling cases," Petersen said May 13. She pointed to the case of Sherri Moler, of Eldridge, who in 2023 sued Lynn Lindaman for sexually assaulting her 47 years earlier. Lindaman is a former athletic trainer who, after his conviction, became an orthopedic surgeon in Polk County. Petersen said Moler "went to the board and was ignored." "Her case, when they said that they had done an investigation on a doctor, she had never even been contacted by the investigators regarding her case," Petersen said. Sens. Sandy Salmon, R-Janesville; Mark Lofgren, R-Muscatine; and Campbell voted against Sharp's confirmation. David Weetman, director of the University of Iowa Health Care's acute care, will join the Board of Pharmacy after unanimous confirmation by 46 members of the Senate. He will serve a three-year term on the Board of Pharmacy, which is made up of five pharmacists, two members of the public and one certified pharmacy technician. Weetman completed his residency and obtained a Master of Science from Johns Hopkins University and received a pharmacy degree from the UI College of Pharmacy. Sabine Martin covers politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at or by phone at (515) 284-8132. Follow her on X at @sabinefmartin. Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@ Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @marissajpayne. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Senate confirms appointees to Iowa utilities, civil rights panels
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Pope Francis' Impact on The LGBTQ Community
Returning to the Rome on a flight from Rio de Janeiro in July 2013, Pope Francis was asked about the supposed existence of a 'gay lobby' at the Vatican. 'If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will,' the pontiff replied. 'Who am I to judge? They shouldn't be marginalized.' The statement sent shock waves throughout the church and beyond. Catholic conservatives, long accustomed to centuries of papal judgments on everything from theology to birth control, were aghast, many of them seeking to minimize the remarks by asserting that they did not represent a departure from Catholic doctrine. James Martin, a Jesuit, however, begs to differ. 'Anyone who says nothing has changed in the church today is nuts,' he says, drawing a contrast between Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI. 'From 'No gay priests' in 2005 to 'Who am I to judge' is a sea change.' LGBTQ advocates also took notice. The Human Rights Campaign hailed 'a significant change in tone,' and Donna Red Wing, executive director of One Iowa, said, 'This is a step forward for this denomination and certainly for the pope.' Ann J. Robison of the Montrose Center agreed, adding, 'We'll see what happens in practice and whether or not the church becomes more welcoming to the LGBT communities.' The Roman Catholic Church marks time in centuries, not days, months or years, so it was not surprising that Francis proceeded slowly in the face of criticism from conservatives. Still, over the course of his pontificate, he nudged the church away from condemnation toward, if not acceptance, inclusion. 'God made you like this and he loves you,' he told a gay man in 2018, and two years later he endorsed legal protections for same-sex couples and criticized laws that criminalized homosexuality. He called on Catholic bishops to have 'a process of conversion' so that they would respond with 'tenderness, please, as God has, for each one of us.' Whereas the Catholic Church in 2008, under Benedict XVI, had refused to sign a United Nations declaration calling for the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality, Francis chose a different course. 'Being homosexual is not a crime,' he said, although he maintained that sex outside of marriage was a sin. 'It's not a crime,' he said. 'Yes, but it's a sin. Fine, but first let's distinguish between a sin and a crime.' 'We are all children of God,' Francis told the Associated Press in 2023, 'and God loves us for who we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity.' The old maxim that actions speak louder than words may not have its origins in scripture, but it applies to Pope Francis and his posture toward the LGBTQ community. Many gay advocates criticized the pontiff for not going far enough, but in the face of a cumbersome bureaucracy and the fevered objections of conservatives, he made some remarkable accommodations. On October 21, 2023, for example, he signed a document that allowed transgender people to be baptized and to serve as godparents. Two months later, in a Vatican document entitled Fidus Supplicans, Pope Francis approved blessings for same-sex couples, providing that the rite did not resemble marriage. 'For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection,' the document reads. 'There is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one's life to God, to ask for his help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.' Gay Catholics responded enthusiastically. 'This is huge for the LGBTQ community,' says Richard Zaldivar, founder and executive director of Wall Las Memorias Project, a Los Angeles health nonprofit serving Latinos and the LGBTQ community. Perhaps just as important as what Francis did for the LGBTQ community is what he didn't do. Nothing in the church canons requires it, but the standard practice is for archbishops to be elevated to the College of Cardinals. Francis, however, has refused to promote José Gómez, archbishop of Los Angeles, the largest diocese in the United States, to cardinal. Gómez is an outspoken conservative on many issues, including against LGBTQ rights. He publicly criticized President Joseph Biden for his position on abortion and gay rights, and as head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Gómez led an effort to deny Biden, a devout Catholic, access to Holy Communion because of Biden's support for reproductive rights. Of note, Gómez and his fellow conservatives have made no move to deny communion to Catholic politicians who support the death penalty, however, which also is contrary to church teaching. Pope Francis's refusal to make Gómez a cardinal spoke volumes, especially when he elevated Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego who is considered more progressive, in 2022. 'By naming one of Gomez's suffragans as Cardinal, and not Gomez himself,' Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter wrote. 'The pope has rendered an unmistakable sign of the kind of episcopal leadership he is seeking. An unmistakable sign.' Pope Francis's gestures of openness toward the gay community have led to a more capacious definition and understanding of family, one with political implications. When Vice President J.D. Vance ventured into theological waters, the Pope schooled the recent convert to Catholicism on the nuances of Catholic doctrine. Vance had invoked the notion of 'ordo amoris' ('order of love') to justify the Trump administration's draconian immigration policies. In the Vice President's telling, love emanates in concentric circles, beginning with those closest to us and eventually to the rest of the world. Therefore, in Vance's opinion, the United States is justified in prioritizing 'American citizens first.' Francis quickly corrected Vance's crabbed interpretation. Invoking language strikingly similar to his statements on gays, the Pope emphasized 'the equal dignity of every human being.' 'Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,' the pontiff wrote. 'The true 'ordo amoris' that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the 'Good Samaritan,' that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.' Over the course of his pontificate, Francis contended with conservatives and with a cumbersome bureaucracy practiced in the art of resisting change. No one, right or left, was fully satisfied. Traditionalists thought him too liberal, and progressives criticized him for not pushing hard enough for reforms. For instance, in 2024 Francis was forced to apologize for using a slur to refer to gay men and women won only token concessions. But in his pronouncements about the nature of families and his overtures to the LGBTQ community, Francis moved the church closer, in his words, to 'a fraternity open to all, without exception.' Contact us at letters@
Time Magazine
21-04-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Pope Francis' Complicated, but Undeniable, Impact on The LGBTQ Community
Returning to the Rome on a flight from Rio de Janeiro in July 2013, Pope Francis was asked about the supposed existence of a 'gay lobby' at the Vatican. 'If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will,' the pontiff replied. 'Who am I to judge? They shouldn't be marginalized.' The statement sent shock waves throughout the church and beyond. Catholic conservatives, long accustomed to centuries of papal judgments on everything from theology to birth control, were aghast, many of them seeking to minimize the remarks by asserting that they did not represent a departure from Catholic doctrine. James Martin, a Jesuit, however, begs to differ. 'Anyone who says nothing has changed in the church today is nuts,' he says, drawing a contrast between Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI. 'From 'No gay priests' in 2005 to 'Who am I to judge' is a sea change.' LGBTQ advocates also took notice. The Human Rights Campaign hailed 'a significant change in tone,' and Donna Red Wing, executive director of One Iowa, said, 'This is a step forward for this denomination and certainly for the pope.' Ann J. Robison of the Montrose Center agreed, adding, 'We'll see what happens in practice and whether or not the church becomes more welcoming to the LGBT communities.' The Roman Catholic Church marks time in centuries, not days, months or years, so it was not surprising that Francis proceeded slowly in the face of criticism from conservatives. Still, over the course of his pontificate, he nudged the church away from condemnation toward, if not acceptance, inclusion. 'God made you like this and he loves you,' he told a gay man in 2018, and two years later he endorsed legal protections for same-sex couples and criticized laws that criminalized homosexuality. He called on Catholic bishops to have 'a process of conversion' so that they would respond with 'tenderness, please, as God has, for each one of us.' Whereas the Catholic Church in 2008, under Benedict XVI, had refused to sign a United Nations declaration calling for the repeal of laws criminalizing homosexuality, Francis chose a different course. 'Being homosexual is not a crime,' he said, although he maintained that sex outside of marriage was a sin. 'It's not a crime,' he said. 'Yes, but it's a sin. Fine, but first let's distinguish between a sin and a crime.' 'We are all children of God,' Francis told the Associated Press in 2023, 'and God loves us for who we are and for the strength that each of us fights for our dignity.' The old maxim that actions speak louder than words may not have its origins in scripture, but it applies to Pope Francis and his posture toward the LGBTQ community. Many gay advocates criticized the pontiff for not going far enough, but in the face of a cumbersome bureaucracy and the fevered objections of conservatives, he made some remarkable accommodations. On October 21, 2023, for example, he signed a document that allowed transgender people to be baptized and to serve as godparents. Two months later, in a Vatican document entitled Fidus Supplicans, Pope Francis approved blessings for same-sex couples, providing that the rite did not resemble marriage. 'For, those seeking a blessing should not be required to have prior moral perfection,' the document reads. 'There is no intention to legitimize anything, but rather to open one's life to God, to ask for his help to live better, and also to invoke the Holy Spirit so that the values of the Gospel may be lived with greater faithfulness.' Gay Catholics responded enthusiastically. 'This is huge for the LGBTQ community,' says Richard Zaldivar, founder and executive director of Wall Las Memorias Project, a Los Angeles health nonprofit serving Latinos and the LGBTQ community. Perhaps just as important as what Francis did for the LGBTQ community is what he didn't do. Nothing in the church canons requires it, but the standard practice is for archbishops to be elevated to the College of Cardinals. Francis, however, has refused to promote José Gómez, archbishop of Los Angeles, the largest diocese in the United States, to cardinal. Gómez is an outspoken conservative on many issues, including against LGBTQ rights. He publicly criticized President Joseph Biden for his position on abortion and gay rights, and as head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Gómez led an effort to deny Biden, a devout Catholic, access to Holy Communion because of Biden's support for reproductive rights. Of note, Gómez and his fellow conservatives have made no move to deny communion to Catholic politicians who support the death penalty, however, which also is contrary to church teaching. Pope Francis's refusal to make Gómez a cardinal spoke volumes, especially when he elevated Robert McElroy, bishop of San Diego who is considered more progressive, in 2022. 'By naming one of Gomez's suffragans as Cardinal, and not Gomez himself,' Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter wrote. 'The pope has rendered an unmistakable sign of the kind of episcopal leadership he is seeking. An unmistakable sign.' Pope Francis's gestures of openness toward the gay community have led to a more capacious definition and understanding of family, one with political implications. When Vice President J.D. Vance ventured into theological waters, the Pope schooled the recent convert to Catholicism on the nuances of Catholic doctrine. Vance had invoked the notion of ' ordo amoris ' ('order of love') to justify the Trump administration's draconian immigration policies. In the Vice President's telling, love emanates in concentric circles, beginning with those closest to us and eventually to the rest of the world. Therefore, in Vance's opinion, the United States is justified in prioritizing 'American citizens first.' Francis quickly corrected Vance's crabbed interpretation. Invoking language strikingly similar to his statements on gays, the Pope emphasized 'the equal dignity of every human being.' 'Christian love is not a concentric expansion of interests that little by little extend to other persons and groups,' the pontiff wrote. 'The true ' ordo amoris' that must be promoted is that which we discover by meditating constantly on the parable of the 'Good Samaritan,' that is, by meditating on the love that builds a fraternity open to all, without exception.' Over the course of his pontificate, Francis contended with conservatives and with a cumbersome bureaucracy practiced in the art of resisting change. No one, right or left, was fully satisfied. Traditionalists thought him too liberal, and progressives criticized him for not pushing hard enough for reforms. For instance, in 2024 Francis was forced to apologize for using a slur to refer to gay men and women won only token concessions. But in his pronouncements about the nature of families and his overtures to the LGBTQ community, Francis moved the church closer, in his words, to 'a fraternity open to all, without exception.'
Axios
14-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Iowa businesses back trans community after rights rollback
Small and medium-size businesses are doubling down on their support of transgender Iowans and inclusivity efforts as larger companies back away or remain silent. Why it matters: After Iowa became the first state to revoke nondiscrimination protections for transgender people, major companies that once lobbied against those efforts stayed silent amid a larger anti-DEI culture pushed by the Trump administration. State of play: As Iowa lawmakers worked to remove gender identity from the state's Civil Rights Act last month, local businesses reached out to LGBTQ+ advocacy group One Iowa asking how they could support trans Iowans, says spokesperson Maddie Rocha Smith. The organization created a list of inclusive businesses that say they're standing with transgender Iowans. 1,075 businesses from across the state signed on, ranging from chiropractic offices to coffee shops. "It's not just Des Moines, which we're really happy about," Rocha Smith says. "Le Mars, Hiawatha, Boone, Keosauqua — these are small cities in our state that are saying there's a space for queer Iowans here." Zoom in: The Slow Down Coffee Co. is one of the businesses on the list. Owners Drew and Kara Kelso say they weren't worried about losing customers by openly displaying their support and instead feel like they've gained customers. As small business owners, they get to be more in tune with their community, Drew says. Small businesses are more nimble and less likely to face political opposition, helping them "show support more authentically," Forbes reports. "Our business lesson we've had to learn is that not everybody likes us and we're not for everybody, but that's OK, because we just want — broadly — everyone to feel welcome," Kara says. Friction point: Principal Financial Group, a major Des Moines employer that previously opposed efforts to revoke nondiscrimination protections, has been silent, the Register reports. Other business groups like the Iowa Chamber Alliance, the Greater Des Moines Partnership and the Iowa Business Council also remained silent, despite opposing those efforts in the past. The other side: Companies are on a tightrope with risks on both sides — stick with DEI and potentially face a Trump Department of Justice investigation, or abandon it and face the potential for lawsuits from employees and job applicants. Either way, companies run the risk of angering customers and staff. What they're saying: "The silence is what's really speaking volumes at this point," Rocha Smith says.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
LGBTQ Iowans rally less than two weeks after being stripped of civil rights protections
DES MOINES, Iowa — A week and a half ago, Iowa Republican majorities removed gender identity as a protected class in Iowa civil rights code. On Tuesday at the statehouse, another crowd gathered for LGBTQ+ Day on the Hill organized by One Iowa. The group started with a march to the statehouse and then held a rally in the rotunda, advocating just after state lawmakers voted to remove the community as a protected class. 'We will fight for our ancestors, we will fight for those that cannot leave this state, we will fight for future generations because there are a hell of a lot of Iowans that deserve to be fought for,' said Max Mowitz, the executive director of One Iowa and One Iowa Action. The rally drew a huge crowd in the rotunda with lawmakers and advocates alike encouraging the crowd to move forward in the wake of the legislation passed. Harding Middle School students receive 529 College Savings Accounts thanks to large donation 'It appears that segregation connected to gender identity is perfectly acceptable,' said Alexandra Gray, a singer, actor, activist and advocate. 'Transgender, gender identity are the current buzzwords used to insert fear. Trans women have been painted as predators, invading women's spaces with the intent of both harming women and taking things from them like sports titles.' Gray pointed out that there has been no representation from transgender Iowans in collegiate sports in the state. 'And while this legislature chose to make a hollow lie out of our state motto that 'our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain,' I am here to say that this is not the end because we will not be silenced,' said State Representative Aime Wichtendahl (D) District 80, from Hiawatha. 'We will not be erased and we will not be forced back into the closest because we are human beings, we are American citizens, we are Iowans.' The rally lasted for a little over an hour with more advocates and lawmakers speaking, and the group ended the day speaking with lawmakers. Iowa News: Iowa man stabbed victim and then set victim's home on fire, sheriff says Lutheran Services in Iowa demand federal dollar freeze lifted at Lutheran Day on the Hill LGBTQ Iowans rally less than two weeks after being stripped of civil rights protections How to watch Iowa vs. Ohio State in Big Ten Tournament first round matchup How to watch ISU Cyclones vs. Cincinnati Bearcats in Big 12 Championship second round matchup Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
