Trans Week of visibility

TDoV

I have said: When they go low, we go deep. And this last week highlighted the power of how deeply we are connected. Trans Day of Visibility (TDoV) week was a whirlwind of activities that spanned art-film-music-dancing-drag performance-food! And underlying all of this joy was mutual aid and community building. These core seeds of our community have buoyed us as a community and continue to provide much-needed connection and financial relief to our loved ones.

I won't go into the reasons why we need community connections on this level right now, but I will touch on one fact that I learned while listening to Keenan Crow speak at the UIowa's Trans Day of Visibility event. They are One Iowa's Director of Policy and Advocacy and told the crowd that in 2019 there were 80 anti-LGBTQ bills circulated nationwide and last year there were over 600. So this is an unprecedented time to be queer and especially transgender in this country. The only response to that level of hostility is to stand in solidarity with one another.

Campaign Update

All of that is to say that I am proud to represent Johnson County as the only transgender County Supervisor in the state of Iowa. And rest assured, I am working hard to retain my seat at this table. This is an incredibly tough race, so if you are reading this and have the ability to help me, please do. I can only knock so many doors and make phone calls on my own. I have received incredible support from a small group of dedicated volunteers, and I am truly and eternally grateful to them for their help. And now we need more people.

Real Talk

I'll be honest. This race is really tough because the state has forced me to run against my colleague--someone who has served in this position for decades, and who, in fact, recruited me to run for office four years ago. At the outset of this race, I asked my colleague if he would consider stepping aside and supporting my campaign, given that he has stated his plan to retire in the next few years. I offered him a different path, one where we could support each other- where he would step down his campaign and I would take him up on being a more intentional mentor and trusted advisor to me. We share many of the same values, and he has claimed to be an ally of many of the communities that I come from. And still. He has committed to running against the only trans queer person-of-color Supervisor in the state of Iowa.

I do not understand why he is running, but I know why I am running. I will fight for all of us in Johnson County, particularly those that are under attack by the Trump administration and our Republican-led state legislature. I am running because I have the professional credentials, experience, and the grit to move us forward in Johnson County.

I believe that with your help (and that of your friends!), we can win.

Three with V:

1. Supervisor Remington and I toured the Meta data center in Altoona on Monday. We met with their staff and learned more about Meta's facility operations and business commitments. This tour was set up by our planning department and we were joined by Altoona's economic development planners. After the tour, we spent about an hour discussing the ins and outs of Meta's impact on the community. I have to admit, I was impressed. We asked hard-hitting questions about their environmental impacts and while there were some un-answerable questions (they didn't have the information in front of them), for the most part, it seems to be a mutually beneficial relationship for Altoona. We still have another data center that we are touring in a few weeks in Cedar Rapids and then I imagine we will be discussing this in one of our Work Sessions, so I'll make sure to continue updating here and on social media.

2. We had our Pride flag vandalized and stolen from our county administration building on Monday, the day before TDoV. Of course, there are several supervisors who have Pride flags in their offices, so we were easily able to re-string a Pride flag and fly it that same day. Supervisor Jon Green was on top of this issue and his flag was flown until it became clear that it was not in the best shape to stay up. My flag was chosen as next to get flown and it stayed up all day! The best part is that, in true form, Supervisor Green deeded his flag to Mandi Remington and CCAN as a token of his appreciation. This flag was presented to Supervisor Remington by me and several young people. This is the county who serves you and I am proud to call Johnson County home!

3. Get Out the Vote for V or GOTVV parties!! Every Wednesday (except for Tax Day!), we are hosting GOTVV parties from 6-8pm. We will have food and drinks and will be door knocking/phone banking/ working on mailers. Please sign up here if you would like to join us.

Maraming Salamat!!!