Add Sioux Falls to the list of cities with nondiscrimination ordinances, the debate in Iowa continues over conversion therapy, Wisconsin leaders cancel travel to Mississippi and North Carolina, and a Manitoba mom is facing harassment over her fight for inclusive schools.

South Dakota
76 percent of voters approved of a ballot initiative to add sexual orientation to the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance, the Argus Leader reports:

Sioux Falls voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved six revisions to the city charter, including one that added language protecting gay and bisexual people from discrimination.

An executive order of the mayor in recent years provides the city won’t discriminate against lesbian, gay and bisexual people when hiring employees. But no such protections had been included in city charter. Amendment F, approved with a 76 percent vote, changes that and makes city charter reflect what’s already a city practice. It also replaces the word “handicap” with “disability,” a term viewed as more politically correct.

Iowa
The Iowa State Daily looks at the reaction of the LGBTQ community in Ames as anti-LGBTQ bills pop up across the country:

For Nicci Port, chair of the LGBTQA+ Faculty and Staff Association, the way these bills will be enforced is a major concern.
“When you go to Mississippi and you’re a baker who won’t bake me a cake, then how are you going to prove that that’s a deeply held religious belief?” Port said. “Are you going to show me a letter from your pastor that you’ve attended church since you were 14?”
Despite the recent rise in religious freedom bills across the country, City Councilwoman Bronwyn Beatty-Hansen said a similar bill would be highly unlikely in Iowa because of the state’s progressive history in regard to civil rights.
“I would say we are pretty inclusive as a community,” Beatty-Hansen said. “Ames is a pretty diverse city for Iowa. That being said, I think there’s always work to do, especially when you have a group that’s been disadvantaged historically. There’s always more education and outreach we could be doing.”
Although Iowa’s policies have been historically progressive, Port said that is all the more reason to stay vigilant.
“We can look at our history and say that we were really progressive, but that could lead to us resting on the accomplishments of the past and could leave us open to regression,” Port said. “And that regression could take place as quickly as one election cycle.”

Pride Week was held at Iowa State University last week. The Daily reports on the Drag Dash that kicked off the week:

Wigs, dogs and tennis shoes all made an appearance at the first Drag Dash on Saturday.
Registration kicked off at noon, while the race didn’t start until 1 p.m. Community members could pay $3 to participate, dressing up as a drag king or queen before running from Beardshear to Curtiss and back in support of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community.
Part of the proceeds go toward The Trevor Project, which provides suicide prevention and crisis intervention to the LGBTQIA community.
Kenni Terrell, sophomore in journalism and mass communication and Gamma Rho Lambda Omicron vice president and event planning chair, is drawn to the philanthropic aspect of Drag Dash.
“[The Trevor Project] basically is an area for LGBT students in crisis and LGBTQIA students to [access] help,” Terrell said. “I think it helps on campus because we are students too.”
Drag Dash capped off Pride Week, which began April 11. The run was promoted to inform the public on drag culture.

On Monday, Angelica Ross shared an empowering message, the Daily reports:

To kick off Pride Week at Iowa State, Angelica Ross visited Monday to share her message of empowering transgender lives in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty,” Ross said.
Ross then went on to share a variety of points that came very personal to her.
“Instead of identifying that I individually have worth and value and am unique, we can see it in other things and other people, but because of all of the factors that come together for me, my value is unique,” Ross said. “We are not in a place right now where we think about things in that way.”
Ross brought up the idea of the “The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs” next.
Ross told a story of flowers and trees. Flowers are accepted even though they bring unique smells and beauty. Ross then talked about redwood trees and how they take up more space, but also bring space for animals. Ross compared this to people.
“We need to be mindful of the space you take up so you can create space as well,” Ross said.

The Des Moines Register’s Rekha Basu recaps a hearing by the Iowa medical board over conversion therapy and the junk science used by the religious right:

The disclosure about Hurley’s medically biased source underscores how easily ideology can masquerade as scientific fact, and how dangerous that can be if sources are not checked. It’s clear from looking at the ACPeds’ web homepage that almost all the pediatric issues it concerns itself with involve sexuality. It warns against so-called “gender ideology,” comprehensive sex education, pornography, and the sexually transmitted HPV virus, and declares that a married mother-father parental unit is necessary to healthy child-rearing. Hurley’s statements prompted a response from a 66-year-old transsexual woman in attendance, who said she’s a female born into a male body. “It’s not men wanting to dress up as women and go into women’s bathrooms and molest women,” she said.

Under constant pressure, Samuel Brinton said he had been about to commit suicide when his mother intervened. He resolved to change. It wasn’t until college that he found affirmation and was able to come out. Brinton eventually graduated from MIT and went to work for a Washington, D.C., think tank, where he focuses on nuclear waste management. He says he has begun to mend fences with his parents and has forgiven them.

The Board of Medicine last week declined to pass the rule being sought, but agreed to form a subcommittee to look into conversion therapy. It will include other professionals, since such therapies may also be undertaken by psychologists, mental health counselors, social workers or other practitioners, according to the groups testifying.

There is no way to know how widely these efforts to convert the sexual or gender orientation of young people is practiced in Iowa. But if any parent is considering sending a child for such therapy, please stop and do the research first. We should be affirming all our children for who they really are rather than forcing some into self-loathing with futile attempts to remake them in ways they can’t identify with.

The Iowa State Daily also took a look at that hearing, and called on the board to ban the dangerous practice:

The Iowa Board of Medicine on Friday denied a state Youth Advisory Council petition that would prohibit Iowa doctors from practicing gay conversion therapy on minors, saying instead it would form a subcommittee to study the issue.
Multiple presenters told the board Friday that conversion therapy considers being gay as a mental illness and is damaging, and according to the Human Rights Campaign organization, is a set of “discredited practices that falsely claim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.”
Homosexuality has been removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders…
It’s one thing if the individual seeking conversion therapy is a fully aware adult, voluntarily entering a program of their choosing. It’s another if a 12-year-old is coerced into attending the therapy with the belief they will be ostracized from family and friends if they don’t get “cured.”
From a religious perspective, people have the right to believe whatever they believe and take whatever steps they feel necessary. If a family together decides that going to a religious leader with questions is the way to go, by all means.
However, looking at conversion therapy from a clinically scientific perspective, medically treating homosexuality as a “mental disorder” is not healthy, can emotionally damage a young person, and quite frankly, shouldn’t be legal. No matter what you believe, there is no scientific medical proof that this is a safe method for minors.

The Des Moines Register called on Gov. Terry Branstad to lure Paypal to the state after the company ditched North Carolina following the enactment of anti-LGBTQ legislation:

Well, that innovation-based company McCrory was falling all over himself to welcome isn’t having any of that. PayPal announced last week it was withdrawing the planned expansion, citing as the reason the law which “perpetuates discrimination.”
The decision to pull the plug “reflects PayPal’s deepest values and our strong belief that every person has the right to be treated equally, and with dignity and respect. These principles of fairness, inclusion and equality are at the heart of everything we seek to achieve and stand for as a company,” according to the company’s press release.
McCrory has since said he hopes to roll back certain provisions of the law but intends to stand by critical elements of it.
Dozens of companies have protested, including Wells Fargo, which has major employment bases in Des Moines and Charlotte. Deutsche Bank called off an expansion Tuesday. Minnesota, Chicago and other cities and states have banned non-essential travel to North Carolina.
Now Iowa’s governor has an opportunity to speak up. Terry Branstad should invite PayPal to consider the more enlightened north and locate its facility in Iowa. It can join Facebook and Google here. Branstad could tout the state’s history of supporting civil rights and marriage equality — and get himself on the record denouncing politically driven legislation that accomplishes only the fostering of discrimination and hatred.

KIMT shares the story of a young person in Mason City who at 15 is already working to make the LGBTQ community safer:

This 15-year-old doesn’t just hang out at Coffee Cat all day.
He is the founder of an education nonprofit, but he has another passion he advocates for: LGBT, or lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
For him, coming out was easy because of a supportive mother.
“Her words were something along the lines of, you know I already knew, that’s why I already told your grandmother and that’s why I’ve also started looking for guys for you,” Lakotah Oelkers says with a laugh.
He realizes this is not the case for all LGBT teens.
With current legislation threatening to prohibit students from attending any LGBT conference or activity during school hours, Lakotah worries schools will be negatively affected.
“I think within the schools, it is very necessary because that’s where most of the bullying and discrimination happens.”

Gov. Terry Branstad issued a non-answer to questions of whether he would enact gender-inclusive policies, the Des Moines Register reports:

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad declined to offer an opinion Monday when asked whether gender-neutral restrooms should be installed at the Iowa Capitol.
The Republican governor was asked about the issue at his weekly news briefing by a reporter who noted that Des Moines Roosevelt High School recently designated gender-neutral restrooms to ensure facilities are available to accommodate transgender people.
“I have not had anybody ask me about that previously, and so that is not something that is on the radar screen at this time,” Branstad told reporters.

Wisconsin
Reo. Melissa Seargent, a Democrat who represents Madison, penned an opinion piece in the Capital Times urging Wisconsin not to follow North Carolina’s lead

Since North Carolina passed their discriminatory law (HB2) that bars transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender identity, the outcry has been swift and forceful.
Both Democrats and Republicans have spoken out against this bill and have urged its repeal. Negative national attention has rained down on North Carolina, with companies pulling the plug on planned expansions, and musicians canceling performances and announcing boycotts of all future shows in the state. Collectively, people want to put a stop to this sort of hateful legislation.
I want everyone to remember one thing: This could have been Wisconsin.
Last October, legislative Republicans introduced a bill (AB 469) that was nearly identical to the North Carolina law.
Supporters of these measures, despite using faulty arguments about privacy and safety, have been unable to point to a single case that justifies the need to legislate where people should be allowed to use the toilet.
Thankfully, this bill failed to gain traction in Wisconsin. After five years of anti-worker, anti-women’s health, anti-voter, anti-student governing, the last thing we needed was to add bigotry to that toxic mix.

Dane County, home to Madison and surrounding communities, has banned nonessential travel to North Carolina and Mississippi, The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

Gutknecht and her transgender brothers and sisters in Dane County have the support of County Executive Joe Parisi. The county executive sent a letter to department heads on Monday, suspending nonessential conference training or travel requests to North Carolina and Mississippi.
“In this day and age, I simply cannot support county money being spent on conferences, conventions and other events these states rely upon for sales taxes and other revenue,” Parisi said.
He also sent a letter to Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday, urging Wisconsin to use the North Carolina and Mississippi situations to its advantage.
“Wisconsin has an incredible opportunity to bring new business and jobs to our state, capitalizing on short-sided policies adopted and considered in a growing number of states,” Parisi said.

Parisi has also called on Gov. Scott Walker to denounce anti-LGBTQ laws in Mississippi and North Carolina, WKOW reports:

The top official in Dane County is calling on Governor Scott Walker to officially denounce discriminatory laws in other states as a way to bring jobs to Wisconsin.
Recently signed laws in Mississippi and North Carolina that eliminate anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people have led to a backlash from the business community.
In North Carolina, both Deutsche Bank and Pay Pal are canceling plans to expand operations in that state, while in Mississippi companies like Tyson Foods, Nissan and Toyota have raised objections.
Both states enacted laws that require transgender individuals to use public restrooms that correlate to their biological gender at birth. The Mississippi law also allows business to refuse service to gay and lesbian couples based on religious objections.
On Monday, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi sent a letter to Governor Walker asking him to denounce those laws and also say he would never sign that type of legislation in Wisconsin.
Parisi told 27 News it is the right thing to do, but there is also an economic component to consider.
“I believe that if the Governor comes out and makes a strong statement, that he will not sign any bills that legalize discrimination in any form – then we can go after these jobs that are not locating in these other states. We can say to Pay Pal – ‘come to Wisconsin’,” said Parisi.
Governor Walker’s office released a statement to 27 News in response to Parisi’s request.
“As Governor Walker has previously pointed out, the state Supreme Court already interprets provisions of the Wisconsin Constitution as protecting religious freedom for all individuals,” wrote spokesperson Laurel Patrick. “Governor Walker looks forward to continuing to work with businesses, county and local officials, and other economic groups to continue encouraging job growth and creation in Wisconsin.”

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel takes a look at Wisconsin’s oldest LGBTQ bar:

You may be surprised that Wisconsin’s oldest continuously operating gay bar was run by a guy with a wife and two kids who assembled for family dinner at home every night.
The bigger wonder might be that the bar was started by his mother.
Both are gone now.
June Brehm died in 2010. She opened This Is It! in downtown Milwaukee in 1968 and soon after welcomed a customer base made up mostly of gay men whose nearby tavern had closed.
Her son, Joe Brehm, who took over in 1981 and continued her commitment to friendly service and an inclusive atmosphere, died April 3.
The bar, or lounge as Joe liked to call it, will go on.
“I put it this way anytime anybody asks me,” said George Schneider, handpicked by Joe in 2012 to co-own the bar. “Joe and June had this bar for the first 50 years, or almost 50. I’m the custodian of a huge amount of history and their legacy. I will make sure it keeps on going for another 50.”
Customers and old friends packed This Is It! on Sunday to remember Joe as a great friend of Milwaukee’s gay community and a welcome face behind the bar for many years. Joe, who lived in Franklin and had survived four kinds of cancer, was diagnosed last August with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. It took him quickly. He was 73.

Manitoba
A Manitoba mother in Hanover is wants her school district to drop its “no-promo-homo” policy and be inclusive for LGBTQ students, the CBC reports:

The Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties (MARL) is concerned about the response of the Hanover School Division to a request for more inclusiveness in its classrooms.
Last week Michelle McHale made a request to the Hanover School Division to drop rules preventing teachers in Grades 5 to 8 from speaking with students about homosexuality. McHale learned of the policy after she raised concerns about her child being bullied for having two moms.
Steinbach-area mom shocked that school division prohibits conversations around sexual orientation
“We hope that the school division will realize that this issue is bigger than just one family,” said Michelle Falk, executive director of MARL.
“There are a lot of LGBTQ families that need these kinds of protections and they need acknowledgement. They need to feel like if they come forth with an issue they will be heard and embraced.”

Michelle Falk, executive director of Manitoba Association for Human Rights and Liberties speaks at a Pride Winnipeg rally in 2015. (Pride Winnipeg)
In an email to CBC, the Hanover School Division said any comment on McHale’s request would be “premature.”
MARL is concerned about the lack of response from the division and wants stronger legislation that would ensure that all Manitoba schools include LGBTQ families in the curriculum.
She wants the next education minister to address the Hanover School Division’s policies.

For her efforts, she’s faced harassment and death threats, the CBC notes in a separate report:

A mother in the Steinbach area is dealing with backlash after she asked for same-sex relationships to be part of the school’s lessons around family diversity. CBC is not naming the town where she lives to protect the identity of her child.
Steinbach-area mom shocked that school division prohibits conversations around sexual orientation
Last week Michelle McHale made a request to the Hanover School Division board of trustees that it abandon rules preventing teachers in grades five to eight from talking about homosexuality in the classroom.
Over the weekend McHale received messages of support from the community, but others have been threatening.
“I knew there would be backlash. I am perhaps surprised how impassioned people got, and so soon,” said McHale.
The most shocking of the online comments came from Facebook where one person posted “Can we just kill her please?”
McHale reported the comment to police, but said she feels the risk to her is low because the man who posted it lives in the United States. However, other negative online comments are coming from her community, she said.
“There are some arguments being put forward that are completely absurd, like that somehow [talking about] same-sex relationships, sexual orientation or identity will open the floodgates for pedophilia or bestiality to be discussed in schools too,” said McHale.