TRM Weekly: Iowa

Sept. 6, 2022

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LGBTQ Affirming, BIPOC And Women’s News, Culture, Commentary And Events

About TRM

PRINT EDITION RETURNS THIS WEEK!

The Real Mainstream print edition returns to regular publication this week! Watch for your copy in your mailbox Thursday, Friday or Saturday. If you're not yet a subscriber, order home delivery here -- or you can also find the new TRM at select bulk distribution locations starting Thursday:

• In Illinois, The Project of the Quad Cities (Moline; email tyler@tpqc.org), Mary Quite Contrary's House of Burlesque (Moline; email mqchouseofburlesque@gmail.com) and Nature's Treatment of Illinois (Milan; general pick-up). Most of the public libraries in Rock Island County will also have limited free copies starting Friday.

• in Iowa, starting Friday, Shakespeare's Pub & Grill (call 319-337-7275 or general pick-up) and the public libraries in Iowa City and Coralville.

Topics this edition:

• Elle Wyant's historic race to become Iowa's first-ever openly transgender state-level official

• Illinois' essential role in meeting the needs of residents in nearby states restricting abortion care

• Tyler Mitchell's review of Will Byers' quiet coming out on "Stranger Things"

• The Plantiful Pantry talks about spicing things up

• Return of the Green Wave

• And more!

When you get your new print copy of The Real Mainstream in the mail, it'll be sharper, cleaner ... better. The spruce-up is courtesy of Danielle Ellis, a graphic designer and multi-media specialist who has joined the TRM team.

Now based in Dallas, Texas, Danielle is a Quad Cities native whose career includes a stint with Davenport's WHBF-TV, and with Voice of Muscatine. She is a graduate of Black Hawk College in Moline and Charleston Southern University in South Carolina and in her spare time enjoys all forms of art, including operatic singing and photography.

Danielle is also a former mentor with PeopleFund and a freelance graphic design artist skilled at remote working relationships and team collaborations. She's experienced in all Adobe programs, ranging from InDesign to Illustrator to Dreamweaver to Photoshop, and also specializes in web design and social media messaging. You can see more of her work at danifellis.com; reach her at defaydesigns@yahoo.com.

DATA BIT: Who gets paid what?

We just passed another Labor Day, and you'll read below about a new study that shows female workers (and especially mothers) haven't yet recovered from the pandemic, while men overall now fill more jobs than pre-pandemic. It's a good time to take a closer look at pay. (Please note: the chart below is best viewed on mobile devices horizontally)

U.S. Weekly Median Wages *

DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP	ALL GENDERS	MEN	WOMEN
Everyone	$1,041	$1,144	$943
White (76% of workforce)	$1,068	$1,161	$956
Hispanic (19% of workforce)	$812	$877	$752
Black (13% of workforce)	$885	$953	$840
Asian (7% of workforce)	$1,336	$1,496	$1,182

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 2022. Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may include other races. Races other than white, Black/African-American and Asian are not reflected in these statistics

NEWS BITS

IOWA

FIREARMS A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT?

Under a little-discussed proposed constitutional amendment before voters Iowa's Nov. 8 ballot, owning firearms would become a constitutIonal right, making the passage of firearms regulations much more complicated and difficult, reports Bloomberg Government.

SHEUMAKER CHALLENGES POLICE OFFICERS' LAWSUIT WITH HER OWN

Des Moines City Council Member Indira Sheumaker, who was part of a 2020 clash between protesters and police, has filed a countersuit against two officers who sued her and five other protesters accusing them of assault. Sheumaker's countersuit accuses the officers of violating her civil rights and also contends their lawsuit should be dismissed because of Iowa case law upholding the "fireman's rule" asserting that emergency responders like police and firefighters voluntarily assume certain risks when they accept their jobs and do not have grounds to sue others for those risks. (WHO-13).

IOWA'S RELEASED PRISONERS SHOW DECREASE IN REARRESTS

The recidivism rate has dropped among released Iowa prisoners for the second straight year. With about 37 percent of released prisoners re-arrested, Iowa now has one of the 10 lowest recidivism rates in the country (Radio Iowa). Nationwide, about 68 percent of released prisoners are charged with another crime after their release, says First Step Alliance.

ILLINOIS

AURORA NOW ACCEPTING APPLICANTS FOR LGBTQ+ ADVISORY PANEL

Aurora, Illinois' second-largest city, will now have an LGBTQ advisory committee, reports CBS Chicago. The city council voted to start the nine-member panel after Aurora's Pride parade was almost cancelled this past summer because of parade organizers' refusal to allow uniformed police at the event. You can apply here.

ILLINOIS PRISON CONCERNS: BAD WATER, POOR HEALTH CARE, INCREASING DANGER

A police organization is concerned that Illinois' 29,000 prisoners are facing less accountability, causing increased danger for both inmates and officers, writes the Effingham Daily Herald. At the same time, two new reports contend the prisoners are also suffering poor health care related largely to understaffed physicians (Pantagraph), and also have too many facilities with water high in heavy metals and legionella contamination (Chicago Sun-Times).

THREE ILLINOIS UNIVERSITIES AMONG CAMPUS PRIDE'S TOP 10 MIDWEST SCHOOLS

Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Northern Illinois University in DeKalb are among 10 Midwestern universities and 40 nationwide recognized as "Best of the Best" for LGBTQ-friendliness. The distinction is awarded based on self-assessments voluntarily filled out by universities and colleges that choose to participate. Learn more at Campus Pride.

NATIONAL

WOMEN STILL FEELING COVID LABOR PINCH

Women nationwide have not yet regained almost 100,000 jobs they held before the COVID pandemic. Men, by contrast, "now hold 338,000 more jobs than in February 2020." (Barron's).

PALIN LOSES IN ALASKA'S RANKED CHOICE VOTING

A pivotal test of ranked choice voting led to the defeat of former conservative star Sarah Palin in Alaska Aug. 16. Best-known for furthering the rural versus urban, "us versus them" dynamic of the 2008 presidential race while John McCain's vice presidential running mate, Palin finished second to Democrat Mary Peltola in a three-way race for the state's lone House seat. Voters named their chose first, second and third-place picks, and those selections were considered in combination to decide the winner, instead of a traditional "one vote, one person" and "winner take all" system. (Inside Elections).

STUDY: LEGAL CANNABIS CUTS DRUG PROFITS, SALES

Legal cannabis laws will likely cause conventional drug sales to drop by 11 percent, and lessen pharma stock market returns by up to 2 percent, according to a new study by researchers affiliated with California Polytechnic State University and The University of New Mexico. (High Times).

IN CASE YOU MISSED THIS

Leash on Life and its community service vibe

Read about how Leash on Life in Johnson County, Ia., lives a community service ethic continuously, in Becca Hathaway's 2020 feature on how owners Laurie Smith and Julie Phyfe led the way for others during the COVID crisis. See Becca's article here.