Iowa
A campaign to unseat three Iowa Supreme Court justices who issued a decision overturning that state’s ban on same-sex marriage was unsuccessful, the Des Moines Register reports:

A trio of Iowa Supreme Court justices appeared poised to remain on the bench despite some still smoldering anger over a ruling that made gay marriage legal in the state.
A wide majority of Iowa voters by 11:10 p.m. had chosen to retain Chief Justice Mark Cady, who authored the unanimous 2009 opinion that established same-sex marriage as a right under the Iowa Constitution. Justice Brent Appel and Justice Daryl Hecht, who supported the ruling, also retained their seats on the high court of seven justices who issue decisions in some of Iowa’s most significant criminal and civil cases.
Backlash over the same-sex marriage ruling among social conservatives sparked a contentious campaign that led to three justices being ousted by voters in 2010. Activists tried in 2012 to get Justice David Wiggins voted off the bench, but he kept his seat with 55 percent of the vote.

23-year old Skyler Wheeler will be the youngest member of the Iowa Legislature. The Republican has made anti-transgender legislation his top priority, Siouxland Matters reports:

The Orange City man is now the youngest member of the legislature.
Come January, when the 2017 legislative session convenes, the house Republicans will welcome eleven freshmen.

Wheeler, a Washington state native came to Siouxland three years ago on a baseball scholarship to Northwestern.

He beat out Jeff VanDerWerff for the second time and Wheeler thought the odds stacked against him, being so new.
“You’re young, you’re not from the area, you’re not dutch, you’ve got thirty some odd people elected in the area you got businesses that are against you, you got educators against you,” said Wheeler. “The point is, I stuck to my guns and let the people know where I stood on the issues.”

As far as Wheelers agenda, he said he’s a strong believer in the second amendment and wants to focus on the issues that are prominent within the state.

“I know this transgender bathroom deal is going to be another issue and I’m going to fight that to death and during the general election, that’s probably the issue I heard about the most in Sioux County,” said Wheeler. “Obviously, I am very pro-life and that’s another issue, the one I’ve heard throughout the entire process.”

Wisconsin
The only openly gay Republican in the country kept his seat in Wisconsin, the Isthmus reports:

In one of the most closely watched Assembly races, Jeff Wright, one of three Democratic Assembly candidates endorsed by President Barack Obama, failed to unseat GOP incumbent Todd Novak, the only openly gay Republican state legislator in the country.
“I was out knocking on doors in the 51st, and it sounded like there was a lot of excitement around Jeff Wright,” says Subeck. “But it’s hard to look at individual races in isolation given what happened at the top of the ticket.”

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire is offering a course on caring for transgender youth, according to a press release:

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Continuing Education/UW-Extension will offer a one-day course focused on understanding and caring for transgender youth. “Growing Up Transgender” will be held from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Clarion Hotel in Eau Claire.
The “T” in LGBTQ+ is the source of much confusion and mystery. Health and human services professionals who seek to understand this often misunderstood community are encouraged to attend this informative program.
Through instruction, attendees will explore the difference between sex and gender, the ongoing challenges of transgender youth, as well as the role of professionals in caring and advocating for the larger transgender community.
Presenters are Christopher Jorgenson, director of the Women’s & LGBTQ Resource Center at UW-Eau Claire, and Dr. Alexandra Hall, a family physician with extensive experience in transgender medical care.

Manitoba
Manitoba’s LGBTQ community is concerned following the election of Donald Trump in the US, the CBC reports:

The LGBT community in Manitoba is also reeling from the Trump win.
“It feels heavy today, I think there is going to be a period of people who are just grieving the loss of this,” said Michelle McHale, Steinbach Pride spokesperson.

Michelle McHale, Steinbach Pride organizer, said women and the LGBT community have a reason to be scared after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election. (CBC)
“And for him to take it by that much,” McHale said.
“I think any time there is such a significant player in the world that makes a statement such as that, I feel the people who feel justified in the United States will be louder and the people who have similar views here will feel hopeful that perhaps that can be obtained here too.”
Trump troubles deepen as women come forward with accusations
Trump says ‘I was wrong’ after 2005 video shows him bragging about groping women
Trump has been criticized for controversial comments about groping women, and there are concerns about equal rights of women being jeopardized.
“The LGBT community has every right to be scared right now given some of the things that have been said, like will all the gains that have been made be lost?” she asked.

South Dakota
Brookings was the top ranked city in South Dakota when it comes to LGBTQ equity, but even that was below the national average of 55 points, the Brookings Register reports:

Brookings topped the list of nine South Dakota cities that were ranked on how accessible they were to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people, according the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

The results of the fifth annual Municipal Equality Index were announced last month by the HRC Foundation, in partnership with the Equality Federation Institute. The MEI assesses LGBTQ equality in 506 cities across the nation, including all 50 capitals, the 200 largest cities in the U.S., and the five largest cities or municipalities in each state.

The nine cities studied in South Dakota, listed by score are: Brookings, 50; Sioux Falls, 40; Vermillion, 27; Spearfish, 21; Rapid City, 19; Aberdeen, 18; Watertown, 18; Mitchell, 12, and Pierre, 12. The average score for cities in South Dakota is 24 out of 100 points, which falls below the national average of 55.