Category: Gender Equity Forum

Sioux City valedictorian on gender equity - No Hate In Our States

5/31/2023

The Class of 2023 will not be bullied!

Sioux City Journal on Twitter

Patrick Baughman, valedictorian of Sioux City West High School’s class of 2023, ends his speech with a declaration for trans rights and against "banned books" during graduation. Click here to see his speech.

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Iowa students suffer from 2023 legislative session - No Hate In Our States

5/31/2023

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Iowa schools may never recover from 2023 legislative session

From Bleeding Heartland

Two Republican trifectas, 50 years apart, reshaped Iowa's K-12 schools. But whereas the legislature and Governor Robert Ray put public education on a more equitable, better funded path during the early 1970s, this year's legislative session left public schools underfunded and unable to meet the needs of many marginalized students.

Governor Kim Reynolds capped a devastating year for Iowa's schools on May 26, when she signed seven education-related bills, including two that will impose many new restrictions while lowering standards for educators and curriculum.

...The governor claimed Iowa's new education landscape "puts parents in the driver's seat." But the majority of parents won't benefit from the new laws.

...More than 90 percent of Iowa students attend public schools. Even if all of their parents wanted to switch to a private school, there would not be enough openings—especially for students with disabilities or those who need individualized education plans. Dozens of Iowa counties don't contain a single private school, making education savings accounts useless for most residents, unless they want to select a 100 percent virtual option.

...In addition, many private schools have jacked up tuition since Reynolds signed the voucher bill. So private school will remain unattainable for many low-income families who may genuinely need state assistance. The majority of the education savings account money would need to be spent on tuition, leaving little left over for other qualifying expenses like textbooks or tutoring. (Families must foot the whole bill for transportation to and from school, which is not a qualifying expense.)

...Advocates for LGBTQ Iowans condemned the new laws in statements published in full below. One Iowa's executive director Courtney Reyes said of Senate File 496, "Like many other centerpieces of the Governor’s agenda, this legislation will harm an already vulnerable group of children and will benefit no one..."

Read the full article here.

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Unity Pride Parade - Community Event

5/29/2023

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Unity Pride Parade
Saturday, June 17th at 2:30 pm

Vibrant Arena at The MARK
1201 River DR
Moline, IL 61265 (map)

This Pride Parade is sponsored by QC Pride and will begin at the Vibrant Arena in Moline. From there it will head east on River Drive, turning right (south) on 17th Street, turning right (west) on 5th Avenue, then turning right (north) on 12th Street. We encourage you to line the streets to enjoy the fun! Find more information here.

PACG will have a table at the Pride Party at Bass Street Landing following the parade. Read more about that here, including information about volunteering.

PACG Webmaster

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Pride Party at Bass Street Landing - PACG event

5/29/2023

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Pride Party at Bass Street Landing
Saturday, June 17th from 3:30 to 10:30 pm

Bass Street Landing
1601 River Dr #306
Moline, IL 61265 (map)

Gender Equity and Civil Rights Forums

Join The Project of the Quad Cities for their third annual Pride Party at Bass Street Landing on Saturday, June 17, 2023! This event is FREE to attend. To learn about the Pride Parade in Moline, click here.

PACG will be tabling at this event. Contact Gender Equity Forum facilitator Alta Price to volunteer.

PACG Webmaster

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Montana's anti-drag law - No Hate In Our States

5/29/2023

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Montana Has Officially Passed an Anti-Drag Law. Here's What That Means

From Them

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed the state’s anti-drag bill into law.

According to the Montana Free Press’s legislative tracker, Gianforte signed HB359 on Monday. A clerk at the Montana State Legislature confirmed to Them that Gianforte signed the bill into law.

An initial version of the bill explicitly banned minors from attending drag performances, but its language was eventually altered to be both broader and less clear. The bill that the governor signed Monday bans minors from attending “sexually oriented shows,” defining such a performance as one that is “intended to appeal to a prurient interest in sex” and features the “complete or partial” exposure of certain body parts, including genitalia, the pubic region, the butt, or a “female breast.”

Montana’s attacks on the art of drag coincide with a nationwide push looking to criminalize drag and those who perform it...

Read the entire article here.

Maggie Davis

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Pride Month Kick Off - starting Friday, June 2nd

5/23/2023

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QC Pride Fest - Pride Month Kick Off Update
Friday, June 2nd from 5:00 pm to midnight and
Saturday, June 3rd from noon to midnight

Schwiebert Riverfront Park
101 17th St
Rock Island, IL 61201 (map)Civil Rights and Gender Equity Forums

Quad Cities Pride Alliance, Elle on Main, Rock Island Parks and Recreation and other groups are sponsoring QC Pride Fest this year at Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island. Read more info here as it becomes available.

PACG is staffing a table on Saturday from noon until 8:00 pm. Volunteers are needed! Please contact Gender Equity Forum facilitator, Carolyn Martin, to volunteer.

We are also staffing a table on Saturday, June 17th at the QC Unity Pride Parade and need volunteers then as well. Look for a future post on volunteering for that one.

PACG Webmaster

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Pride in the QCA - No Hate in Our States

5/23/2023

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Pride in the QCA
June of 2023

Civil Rights and Gender Equity Forums

PACG is listed as one of the many cosponsors of Pride events in our area during the month of June. Many other groups are doing this excellent work as well. From a terrific article by The REAL Mainstream:

Groups leading Pride events are TPQC, QC Pride, Figge Art Museum, Clock Inc. and QCPA
The run of events involves these five main groups:

The Project of the Quad Cities: this nonprofit provides physical and mental health services to LGBTQ+. BIPOC and other marginalized populations in 20 counties in Iowa and Illinois. It's offering five events through the Quad Cities this Pride season, including its premier Pride event on June 17th, Pride at Bass Street Landing.

QC Pride: this nonprofit started the first QC Pride celebrations years ago and still coordinates the annual Pride Parade, also happening on June 17th. QC Pride also helps present a film series at the Figge Art Museum.

Figge Art Museum: in addition to hosting all kinds of multi-cultural arts and education events, the nonprofit Figge collaborates with Clock, Inc and has hosted Pride Month film showings for years.

Clock, Inc: this nonprofit provides counseling, support groups and social opportunities for LGBTQ+ youth throughout the Quad Cities area. Clock holds at least three Pride events this year, including Pride Paint Night on June 19th.

Quad Cities Pride Alliance: this rebranded version of the for-profit Quad Cities Pride Festivals that has coordinated the Quad Cities Pride Festival on June 2 and 3rd since 2018. The group says it has applied to become a nonprofit and expects to receive confirmation any day on its new charity status. QCPA also plans to hold more events throughout the year from here on.

Also helping to coordinate the events are the following nonprofit organizations: Quad Citians Affirming Diversity (QCAD), One Human Family QCA, Progressive Action for the Common Good (PACG), MCC of the Quad Cities, Quad Cities Pride in Memory, and Free Mom Hugs-Quad Cities.

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Understanding book bans - No Hate In Our States

5/23/2023

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Objection to sexual, LGBTQ content propels spike in book challenges

An analysis of book challenges from across the nation shows the majority were filed by just 11 people

(image: Chantal Jahchan for The Washington Post; Getty Images)

The Washington Post has researched the incidents of banned books throughout the country and written an incredible article that is factual but alarming. Read part of it below and click the link for the entire article.

Books about LGBTQ people are fast becoming the main target of a historic wave of school book challenges — and a large percentage of the complaints come from a minuscule number of hyperactive adults, a first-of-its-kind Washington Post analysis found.

A stated wish to shield children from sexual content is the main factor animating attempts to remove LGBTQ books, The Post found. The second-most common reason cited for pulling LGBTQ texts was an explicit desire to prevent children from reading about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary and queer lives...

...The Post analyzed the complaints to determine who was challenging the books, what kinds of books drew objections and why. Nearly half of filings — 43 percent — targeted titles with LGBTQ characters or themes, while 36 percent targeted titles featuring characters of color or dealing with issues of race and racism. The top reason people challenged books was “sexual” content; 61 percent of challenges referenced this concern...

...A small number of people were responsible for most of the book challenges, The Post found. Individuals who filed 10 or more complaints were responsible for two-thirds of all challenges. In some cases, these serial filers relied on a network of volunteers gathered together under the aegis of conservative parents’ groups such as Moms for Liberty.

Read the article here or listen at the provided link.

PACG Webmaster

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Pride calendar on the PACG Calendar - A Message from the Board

5/19/2023

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New Pride sub-calendar on the PACG Calendar

A Message from the Board

At our most recent Board meeting we discussed that there are numerous Pride events and activities offered in June in the QCA by many different organizations. Last week's Progressive Action Update (PAU) announced our cosponsorship of the NOH8 Campaign photo shoot, as well as some No Hate In Our States suggestions about Free Films at the Figge for Pride.

As we cull through all of the events to share with you, we decided that it made sense to add a sub calendar to our main PACG Calendar that you can find on our website here.

Events that are Community Pride events have QCP (Quad City Pride) in front of their calendar event title. This should not be confused with one of the sponsors of Pride events, QC Pride. The notation is just a way for our readers to quickly see a Pride offering in our area.

Alta Price, Co-Facilitator
Gender Equity Forum

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Free Films at Figge for Pride - Of Interest to Our Forums

5/17/2023

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Free Films at the Figge for Pride
Sundays, June 11th to 26th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm

Figge Art Museum
225 West 2nd ST
Davenport IA (map)

Gender Equity Forum

Note: Figge Art Museum has changed the showing time for these films. Movies will start at 4:00 pm.

Sunday, June 11th - Four Moons (2014)
The second film in the series is Four Moons (2014) about four interwoven and complex stories of love and acceptance. Admission is FREE! Watch a trailer.

Sunday, June 18th - Tomboy (2011)
The third film in the series is Tomboy (2011). A French family with two daughters, 10-year-old Laure and 6-year-old Jeanne, moves to a new neighborhood during the summer holidays. Laure is mistaken for a boy by the local kids and passes herself off as Mickael. Admission is FREE! Watch a trailer.

Sunday, June 25th - Joyland (2022)
The final film in the series is Joyland (2022). Following a long spell of unemployment, Haider lands a job at a Bollywood-style burlesque as a backup dancer for Biba, a strong-willed trans woman with whom he becomes infatuated. Joyland was the first Pakistani film ever to be selected for screening at Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for four major awards, winning two. Joyland continues to be banned in Punjab, the largest and most populated province of Pakistan, and in its capital city of Lahore where the story takes place and where the film was shot. Admission is FREE! Watch a trailer.

PACG Webmaster

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Sioux City valedictorian on gender equity - No Hate In Our States

The Class of 2023 will not be bullied!

Iowa students suffer from 2023 legislative session - No Hate In Our States

Iowa schools may never recover from 2023 legislative session

Unity Pride Parade - Community Event

Unity Pride Parade
Saturday, June 17th at 2:30 pm

Pride Party at Bass Street Landing - PACG event

Pride Party at Bass Street Landing
Saturday, June 17th from 3:30 to 10:30 pm

Montana's anti-drag law - No Hate In Our States

Montana Has Officially Passed an Anti-Drag Law. Here's What That Means

Pride Month Kick Off - starting Friday, June 2nd

QC Pride Fest - Pride Month Kick Off Update
Friday, June 2nd from 5:00 pm to midnight and
Saturday, June 3rd from noon to midnight

Pride in the QCA - No Hate in Our States

Pride in the QCA
June of 2023

Understanding book bans - No Hate In Our States

Objection to sexual, LGBTQ content propels spike in book challenges

Pride calendar on the PACG Calendar - A Message from the Board

New Pride sub-calendar on the PACG Calendar

Free Films at Figge for Pride - Of Interest to Our Forums

Free Films at the Figge for Pride
Sundays, June 11th to 26th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm

Archives

Categories

The Class of 2023 will not be bullied!

Iowa schools may never recover from 2023 legislative session

Unity Pride Parade Saturday, June 17th at 2:30 pm

Pride Party at Bass Street LandingSaturday, June 17th from 3:30 to 10:30 pm

Montana Has Officially Passed an Anti-Drag Law. Here's What That Means

QC Pride Fest - Pride Month Kick Off UpdateFriday, June 2nd from 5:00 pm to midnight andSaturday, June 3rd from noon to midnight

Pride in the QCAJune of 2023

Objection to sexual, LGBTQ content propels spike in book challenges

New Pride sub-calendar on the PACG Calendar

Free Films at the Figge for PrideSundays, June 11th to 26th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm

Archives

Categories

Unity Pride Parade
Saturday, June 17th at 2:30 pm

Pride Party at Bass Street Landing
Saturday, June 17th from 3:30 to 10:30 pm

QC Pride Fest - Pride Month Kick Off Update
Friday, June 2nd from 5:00 pm to midnight and
Saturday, June 3rd from noon to midnight

Pride in the QCA
June of 2023

Free Films at the Figge for Pride
Sundays, June 11th to 26th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm