Iowa
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz was in Iowa at the Rally for Religious Liberty where he highlighted businesses that discriminate against same-sex couples, the New York Times reports:

When Senator Ted Cruz speaks to as many as 2,000 conservatives at a Rally for Religious Liberty on Friday night, he will feature on stage Iowa’s equivalent of the Christian bakers and florists who became cause célèbres by refusing to provide services for same-sex weddings.
Richard and Betty Odgaard, a Mennonite couple who would not rent their event space for a gay wedding in 2013, incurring a $5,000 fine from the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, have had their cause taken up by Mr. Cruz as he seeks support from Iowa’s many evangelical voters.
Mr. Cruz, the Texas Republican, has blamed “liberal fascism” for driving the Odgaards out of business. The couple closed their cafe, gallery and event space, the Gortz Haus, in January. They said business steeply declined after they decided not to hold any weddings rather than risk another fine. Iowa law since 2007 has forbidden discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations.

“There is a war on faith in America today, in our lifetime,” Cruz told the crowd according to MSNBC. “Did we ever imagine that in the land of the free and home of the brave, we would be witnessing our government persecute its citizens for their faith?”

Cruz was confronted at the Iowa State Fair by actress Ellen Page, the Washington Post reports:

Sen. Ted Cruz and actress Ellen Page had an animated back-and-forth about gay rights at the Iowa State Fair on Friday.
Page asked Cruz, who was standing behind a grill full of pork chops, about LGBT people who are “being fired for just strictly being gay or trans.” The question kicked off a nearly five-minute exchange between the actress and the presidential candidate, who did not appear to recognize Page.
“We’re seeing Bible-believing Christians being persecuted for living according to their faith,” Cruz said. The Texas Republican, who is courting the vote of conservatives and evangelical Christians, is holding a rally for religious liberty here Friday night.
“For discriminating against LGBT people,” Page shot back. The encounter wasfilmed by ABC News.

The Human Rights Campaign polled several Republican seats in Congress, including Iowa’s 3rd, and found that voters would be less likely to vote for a member of Congress who voted against a ban on LGBT discrimination, Roll Call reports:

A set of polls conducted for the Human Rights Campaign found incumbents would imperil their re-election chances if they oppose a bill that bans discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.
Over in Iowa’s 3rd District — held by freshman GOP Rep. David Young — 14 percent of Young’s current supporters said they’d be less likely to vote for Young if he opposed the bill. In a match-up against a generic Democrat, Young would capture 41 percent to the Democrats’ 42 percent. Veteran Jim Mowrer announced this week he is seeking the Democratic nomination for the seat, which is rated a Tossup contest.

Wisconsin
HRC also polled Wisconsin’s first congressional district, Roll Call reports:

And in Wisconsin’s 1st District — held by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan — 11 percent of his current supporters would be less likely to vote for him if he opposed the Equality Act. Ryan, however, appears unlikely to lose re-election in his heavily Republican seat. The poll found he leads a generic Democratic opponent 47 percent to 38 percent.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin stopped by a Lacrosse restaurant that has been getting a lot of attention for confronting an anti-LGBT commenter, CBS8 reports:

The incident caught the attention of Senator Baldwin who is openly gay. “I said this is wonderful. Here’s La Crosse, Wisconsin, here’s a courageous business owner saying ‘I stand for my customers, I want to have a supportive and lovely atmosphere at my restaurant.’ I said next time I’m in La Crosse I would love to stop by.”
The owner of Gracie’s says she was surprised to hear Senator Baldwin was going to make a stop at the restaurant, and says this is the first time a U.S. Senator has ever been to the restaurant.

South Dakota
South Dakota’s conservative lawmakers are going after a transgender inclusive high school athletics policy, the Argus Leader reports:

An advocate for transgender youth says she is concerned about a potential attack on a policy that lets high school students play on sports teams based on their gender identity rather than the sex assigned at birth.
A year and a half after the South Dakota High School Activities Association created the policy and months after Republican lawmakers failed to repeal it, a legislative committee is set to hold a meeting Thursday to probe the measure.
Kendra Heathscott, head of transgender services at The Center for Equality, said transgender kids are already hesitant about enrolling in some high school activities.

They don’t want to take that risk,” Heathscott said. The Sioux Falls based nonprofit advocates for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. “A lot of these kids really know who they are and it’s a lot of people not believing them that keeps them back.”

The Grand Forks Herald has more:

The battle over setting people’s gender in South Dakota probably will carry into the 2016 legislative session.

The Legislature’s interim committee dealing with the issue Thursday requested a draft of a potential state law.
The proposal from Rep. Roger Hunt, R-Brandon, would rely on official birth certificates and visual inspections for determining gender rather than people deciding their own.
He said gender is determined at conception and the transgender debate is riding the gay marriage wave.

North Dakota

Patrick Whelan at the National Catholic Register has choice words for the Diocese of Bismarck after it kicked out Boy Scouts troops after the organization voted to allow gay leaders:

If the pope can say,“Who am I to judge?” when speaking of the good intentions of such a Catholic leader, Bishop Kagan would seem to be on shaky ground going after the Boy Scouts.
The story may have a happy ending. The Scoutmaster of Troop 1054 told me that the outpouring of support locally and from across the country has been “truly amazing and very much appreciated. I’m glad to see Scouting is still alive and well.” He said that a local service organization had stepped up and offered to charter the troop and to bring more material support to all their activities. “While we are sad to end the 66 year relationship with the Catholic church, we are excited about the opportunities in the future,” he added.
Pope Francis has ushered in a new era in the Church: “No closed doors!” he said to divorced and remarried Catholics. A fully inclusive Boy Scouts of America, with their focus on character formation and a capacity for reverence, will be around long after Bishop Kagan is gone.