GoGuide
FREE Dec ‘19Jan ‘20
The Winter Issue
Election Guide page 11
Our Guide to the Iowa Caucuses
On caucus night will Iowa Democrats make history?
Another perfect score for Iowa City from HRC, page 6
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GoGuide Magazine GoGuideMagazine.com
A note from the publisher and editor... Welcome to our first-ever caucus guide. It’s a wrap-up to our year-long interview process with candidates for President of the United States of America. It’s been a tremendous experience and a lot of work. We’re very proud of the final product. We hope that all find this forum helpful as you head out to vote on caucus night, February 3rd. I also want to invite everyone to visit www. GoGuideMagazine.com for continued coverage of the Iowa Caucuses. GoGuide will continue to cover the elections through our print and online outlets. There will be a lot happening this spring and fall in Iowa as we begin the primary election and general election processes. Again, our focus will be on those issues most relevant to the LGBTQIA communities, friends, and allies. GoGuideMagazine.com is your 24/7 news source. GoGuide Magazine will continue its traditional print schedule in 2020. Again, in the coming year, each issue will highlight a different featured topic. In February 2020 we will feature Healthy Living. Happy New Year,
Tim
Vol. 4; Issue 5 December/January 2019-2020
Winter Issue
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Publisher & Executive Editor Tim Nedoba Cedar Rapids Editor Julia Freeman Theater Editor Matthew Brewbaker Music Editor/Operations Gregory Cameron Photography GoGuide Media Columnist Erik Sosa Graphics GoGuide Media Website Development AIT, Inc. | GoGuide Media Contributors Barry Joy (aka @asianmapleleaf) Gregg Shapiro Terri Schlichenmeyer Cover Design: GoGuide Media Local Sales: Reach Out Marketing timr@romllc.us (319) 800-3223 National Sales: Rivendell Media (212) 242-6863 Contact GoGuide Magazine at info@goguidemagazine.com or call (319) 800-3223
SPRING 2020 EVENTS JANUARY 24–25 The Color Purple 29 Miró Quartet and Kiera Duffy, soprano Personal Revolution FEBRUARY 1 Kids Club Hancher: Gina Chavez 5 Culinary Arts Experience: University Catering Dinner with the Chefs
*Tickets on sale January 6
8 15 21
Rosanne Cash RUBBERBAND, Vic’s Mix Syed Umar Warsi, Amir Safi, and Amal Kassir An Evening of Spoken Word Poetry 22 Negin Farsad 28–29 The Actors’ Gang The New Colossus MARCH 4 The Chieftains, The Irish Goodbye 8 Club Hancher: Dreamers’ Circus 10 Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
MARCH (CONTINUED) 25 Club Hancher: Melissa Aldana Quartet 28 Los Angeles Master Chorale Lagrime di San Pietro (Tears of St. Peter) APRIL 3–4 Beautiful: The Carole King Musical 7 The Boston Pops On Tour Lights, Camera…Music! Six Decades of John Williams 18 ETHEL + Robert Mirabal, The River 24–26 Compagnia TPO, Farfalle MAY 1–2 4 6
Slingsby Theatre Company Emil and the Detectives Danish String Quartet Culinary Arts Experience: Maggie’s Farm Wood-Fired Pizza
*Tickets on sale April 6 AUGUST
14–16 The Big Splash! - FREE & OUTDOORS
Photo: Bill Hebert
RUBBERBAND Vic’s Mix
TICKETS ON SALE NOW Order online hancher.uiowa.edu Call (319) 335-1160 or 800-HANCHER Accessibility Services (319) 335-1158
$10
STUDENT TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR MOST SHOWS
Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events.If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Hancher in advance at (319) 335-1158.
features
Proudly covering the local LGBTQIA communities, friends and allies since 2016 Page 5 - One Iowa names new executive director
Online Exclusives A holiday message from Julia Freeman
Our Guide to the Iowa Caucuses: Letters to the editor, Page 6 - Iowa City earns a perfect additional Presidenscore from HRC tial interviews, and regular campaign Page 8 - Meet Julia Freeman’s newest updates
visionary
Page 9 - PFLAG host disco night Page 11 - Our Guide to the Iowa Caucuses Page 24 - A look inside Iowa theater by Matthew Brewbaker Page 31 - Sunday afternoon cocktails at Gene’s
Travel Feature Savage Love by Dan Savage Book Review sponsored by Prairie Lights Bookstore www.prairielights. com Coming soon: The best local deals Calendar of events Free classified ads Apartments for rent Open houses GoGuideMagazine. com
Big Grove Brewery Easy Eddy 12-Packs are now available from Big Grove Brewery. This hazy IPA is a recent gold medal winner in its category at the US Beer Championships and is the last of our six “core beers” to hit the market in a 12-pack packaged format.
Date: September 6, 2020
Courtney Reyes takes the helm at One Iowa Location: Coralville
Event organizer: ROMLLC Des Moines - One Iowa’s Board of Directors has named Courtney Reyes to immeContact: tim@ROMLLC.us diately assume the role of executive director. Reyes previously served as the organization’s assistant executive director, and prior toVisit: that ashttps://www.facebook.com/ the organization’s development CoralvillePride/ director. “We are delighted to have Courtney step intoSponsorship the executive director role. Herspace vision, and vendor leadership skills and experience ensure a seamless transition and will help us grow available. Here’s your chanceinto our mission to advance, empower and improve the lives Iowans stand outofinLGBTQ a crowd andstatehelp wide,” said Jenny Smith, chair of the One Iowa Board of Directors. Learn more make this a historic event for about One Iowa by visiting oniowa.org. GG
Coralville. Join the fun today!
Perfect Score Iowa City earns perfect score of 100 for the sixth straight year on HRC’s Metropolitan Equality Index scorecard
Iowa City - The City of Iowa City sent out a press release announcing a press conference to be in the City’s Council Chambers on November 19, 2019. No additional information was provided. The nature of the announcement was a well-guarded secret. The subject of the press conference wasn’t clear until attendees got closer to City Hall and noticed the Rainbow Flag hanging outside the main entrance to City Hall. Once in the council chambers, it was quick to see that we were about to receive a significant announcement. It was clear by merely recognizing the number of dignitaries, including Iowa City Mayor Jim Throgmorton. HRC sent dignitaries as well. They were there to inform the community that once again, Iowa City earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Metropolitan Equality Index scorecard (MEI). As the HRC representative stated, “this is no simple feat. Every year it’s it becomes harder and harder to score a perfect score.” This was Iowa City’s sixth straight score of 100. 6
Iowa City was joined by Cedar Rapids and Dubuque as the only other communities in Iowa to score 100. HRC scored a total of nine cities in Iowa. Iowa City council member at large Bruce Teague summed up the day this way, “Iowa City has allowed me to thrive and grow and thrive and now I’m a member city council as the first openly gay member of this body.” Complete coverage of the press conference is available at GoGuideMagazine.com. GG
Iowa City business person Jason Zeman and Iowa City Council member at large Bruce Teague.
Local Visionaries
an ongoing series by Julia Freeman
Meet our newest Visionary: Solon city administrator Cami Rasmussen Overcoming obstacles and adversity are not foreign ar-
eas for Solon City Administrator Cami Rasmussen. She seeks to pave her way and inspire others to follow in her path by serving as an example for her own Solon community members and beyond. Within the fickle profession with a dynamic city council, she has committed to serve the city that she loves. Her everyday role is to work with the unique six-member Solon City Council along with Steve Stange, the mayor. As former mayor herself, she has an exceptional understanding of the significant role the office plays in small-town life. “The work I am doing today will build the legacy for tomorrow,” said Rasmussen. Her daily interactions include everyday’ office work’ such as phone calls and emails, but also expand into weekly inspections, and all small project proposals within the city come through her before she reviews them to pass them along to the review of handle the approval process. Throughout her career in Solon city management, she has learned that the title doesn’t matter as much as the impact on the community and effectiveness that comes with transitions of offices. For her, city affairs are personal and a family tradition. Her father had a career as a city official in the public works and chief of police of Polk City, Iowa. “I am a wife and mother first, and all I do in my life circles back to my family,” she explains. She was 8
inspired to lead by the birth of her daughter and seeks to show and tell her that if ‘you work hard and open your doors along the way, anything is possible.’ Rasmussen just graduated with her Bachelor’s degree. She recognizes that education and mentorship are at the forefront of her future as she aspires to spend more time with her three grandchildren and continuing to pursue her love for learning. “Wherever you are, I want to be in a position to help pave the way for the next person to make it better and show the course to do so. I want to leave any place better than it was when I got there,” Rasmussen explained her love for learning and Solon. She also wanted to reflect that the role as a government official has on her family as they have been very understanding of her having to go, a wish that she wanted to spend more time with them. Her priorities are faith, family, and community by working nonstop and hard across facets.
Disco is back, baby! This time is has been revolutionized to the current times with the addition of wireless technology. by Julia Freeman
A silent disco held on October 26 as
a fundraiser for the Tanager Place LGBTQ Center. For a small fee, a person could rent a pair of wireless LED rechargeable enabled headphones for the duration of the event. They could then choose to listen to one of three DJs mixes, each with their identifying color of red, green, or blue, stationed at the front of Ideal Social Hall in Cedar Rapids. So that attendees could see which station that others were dancing to in their noise-canceling headphones because each station had a unique color identity display that could be seen from the outside. Channels or staShe felt she had something to contrib- tions could also change at the user’s request, which made for its mixtape ute and could truly bring a new perspective, her central reason for initially variation of a dancing experience. running for and joining the city council This event took place just after what has become an annual Halloween and government. “Small towns proparade, and associated festivities, so vide some sense of boundary, and I find security in that,” Rasmussen said many attendees, treated it as a makeof Solon, having raised her kids in the shift Halloween party as well. community for their entire lives. The The volume of the music in the city administrator, one of three city headphones was adjustable, a conofficials, is open to suggestions from citizens to find solutions to engage “Disco” continued on next page LGBTQ citizens as well. GG
“Disco” continued from previous page venient adaptation for noise-sensitive people. Attendees could choose to dance to tunes such as Cupid Shuffle, “Old Town Road,” “The Git Up,” and many other upbeat beats across the various DJs represented. There were also snacks and many opportunities to connect and chat with fellow supporters, youth, advocates, adults, and organizers throughout the night as well. Representation was diverse, and there was a sense of camaraderie with and without headphones on or dance moves showcased. GG
Holiday and yearround gift ideas from Iowa Artisans Gallery. An Iowa City fixture for over 33 years. Midwestern artists are their specialty. GG
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GoGuide Magazine GoGuideMagazine.com
Our Guide to the Iowa Caucuses 2020
The long and wintery road to Caucus night
The 2020 Iowa Caucuses Let your voice be heard. As Iowan’s, this is our opportunity to have a real impact on the 2020 Presidential race for the White House. It’s also our responsibility to let the politicians know that our vote should never be taken for granted. Every majority in Iowa is earned. Let’s keep it that way. This election cycle GoGuide Magazine ran forum in which we offered each campaign the opportunity to interview with the magazine responding specifically to questions of interest to the LGBTQIA communities, friends, and allies. Every major campaign contacted. A few notable campaigns did not respond or were unable to complete the task of scheduling the interview. Those that chose not to participate will be obvious after you read the complete guide. I would encourage all voters to give special attention to those candidates that decided to join the forum. These are the candidates that were willing to put their support for the community in writing. Supporting one of these candidates sends a strong signal to all that nobody’s vote guaranteed. What you need to know. The 2020 Iowa Caucuses will be held on February 3rd, 2020. Iowa is the first in the nation to be counted All are confident the Iowa Caucuses will be the most accessible, transparent, and successful caucuses ever. The Iowa Caucuses are the responsibility of each Party to organize. Each Party must organize the caucuses from top to bottom, including recruiting and training precinct captains, securing caucus locations, and certifying the results. In short, without the Iowa Democratic Party, there are no 2020 Iowa Caucuses. It’s a big undertaking, but as Iowan’s, we’re confident this team of workers and volunteers will get the job done. It’s not too late to get involved. Contact the Iowa Democratic Party at www.iowademocrats.org/2020-caucuses. 12
Will Iowa Democrats make history February 3rd? Can an openly gay man win the Iowa caucuses? Various Media Reports
Iowa - What appeared to be a long-shot candidacy at best is now the front-runner in Iowa, according to most polls leading up to the February 3rd Iowa Caucuses. South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttieged, is not only the first major Party out gay candidate running for President he is also poised to be a top tier candidate throughout the caucus and primary process in all of 2020. “Iowa is unquestionalbly up for grabs,” said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk Political research Center. Paleologos goes on to say, “Buttigieg has found a lane and is accelerating to the front of the pack... he is now clearly ahead of one-time Iowa favorites Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.” At the time of the printing of this issue former Vice President Joe Biden,billionaire Tom Steyer, Senator Warren and Senator Sanders did not respond to GoGuide efforts to be interviewed as part of our Presidential Forum. It’s not surprising that many in the LGBTQ community support the campaign of Pete Buttieged. Of course, his support is not universal. For example, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has a strong command of the issues most important to the LGBTQ community and consequently enjoys considerable support among LGBTQ voters. Now Mayor Pete Buttiegies is facing a surprising new accusation. Some say he’s not gay enough. However, most disagree. Skylar Baker-Jordan, a nationally known columnist, wrote for The Independent, “Pete Buttigieg is gay enough, and so am I. Many, if not most, gay people are boring..they spend their time at churches in flyover states. In rural America, Buttigieg still counts as radical.” GG
In their own words... The 2020 GoGuide Presidential Forum South Bend, IN Mayor Pete Buttieged GG: Are you all in to win the Iowa Caucuses? Can you win Iowa? Absolutely. I’m looking forward to visiting with Iowans from all across the state –– including cities, rural areas, and counties that are not necessarily known for being very Democratic. I think that’s really important. That’s why I was recently up in Cresco, a county that Obama won by 20 points in 2012, and then Trump won by 20 points in 2016. My introduction to the state was as a volunteer in 2008, knocking on doors for Barack Obama in Decatur, Union, Ringgold counties. I know there are a lot of communities across this state that are Obama-Trump swing counties, and I think that’s a big part of where we need to succeed. We need more voices from places that have often been neglected or felt left out of the political conversation. And there are so many communities in Iowa, whether it’s an industrial city similar to my hometown of South Bend, or rural communities where people grow up getting this message like I did growing up that success had to mean getting out. This President spoke to communities like that, but in a very destructive way, basically saying that the only way things could get any better for us is to turn back the clock. But that is a promise you can’t keep because there is no going back. But we can move forward. My message is one of generational change, and I plan to make my case to Iowans all across the state for why I believe I am the best candidate for that. It may seem like a ridiculous question, but are you going to seek the LGBTQ vote actively? Often the LGBTQ vote is taken for granted or is not actively sought after by major party candidates. I’m going to seek every American’s vote, and that certainly includes the LGBTQ community. You know, I began my career at a time when you could either be out, or you could have a career in politics, but you couldn’t have both. But thanks to the grace of a
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single vote on the Supreme Court, last year, I had the freedom to marry my husband, Chasten, while serving as the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Things are changing very quickly, but we have got a long way to go. Getting marriage equality did not end the struggle for equality in general for the LGBTQ community. You look at the fact that a lot of parts of the country lack basic protections, including parts of Indiana where I live, where you could be fired for who you are. We see a lot of attacks coming out of this White House on transgender Americans. We’ve got to end the war on trans-Americans. We need an Equality Act. I think it’s pretty shocking that the Equality Act that sailed through the House of Representatives is being held up by the GOP-led Senate and President. That’s why we need a federal Equality Act that would protect people from being fired just because of who you are or because of who you love. GG: You talk about a new vision for America. In what ways does that vision include the LGBTQ community? Right now, people of color, women, LGBTQ Americans, immigrants, and others, feel like they are under attack from this administration. And we need to find ways to stand up for each other and to reach across the different boundaries of identity that we have to stand up for the basic idea of freedom and equality. This is a moment where anybody who could be marked out as different is in some way vulnerable, because of the way this administration works. The struggle for equality for the LGBTQ community, on everything from workplace discrimination to trans service members’ dignity, does not compete with the other struggles of Americans. It reinforces these struggles, and it obligates us all to do everything we can to lift one another up in the struggle. We have to stand with each other, no matter what. Harvey Milk used to talk about the “us-es”—not just gays, but the black community, seniors, the disabled. Anyone who’s been marginalized, or preyed upon, or counted out. And the only way we’ll move forward is if all of us “us-es” rise together to meet this moment. To make our “us-es” into a bigger us without pretending that we’re all the same, without needing to be all the same to put it all on the line for one another. The struggle for freedom and fairness and a better life reaches far beyond our LGBTQ experience. But our experience arms us with empathy, and it fills us with the energy to get this done. GG: Healthcare is on the minds of all Americans. How is your healthcare proposal better or different than other candidates? We need to move to universal health care. I don’t understand how we are expected to accept America as the only developed country that lacks this. And, universal health care is popular. Now we can talk about how quickly and how ambitiously we can implement this. I don’t believe we can just flip the switch overnight and expect a single-payer to work smoothly. Think about how hard it was just to get the Affordable Care Act, which is a comparatively conservative thing to do now. What I would do is push for what I call
a “Medicare for all who want it” approach. Basically, take a flavor of Medicare and put it on the exchanges. And then let people opt-in, I expect that it will be better and more competitive than the corporate options, and therefore more people will buy into it. Over time, it’s a smoother glide path to a Medicare for all environment, which I think is the most attractive destination. GG: Tell us in a paragraph or two why you want to be President and why this is the time for you? I’m running for President because I believe we are living at a moment of such seriousness and such opportunity that we’ve got to do something completely different. What happens in the next three or four years will decide how America functions for the next thirty or forty. I think more than anything, and we need to stand on our values. Values like freedom, security, and democracy. And we must insist that these values do not belong to one political party. So in that spirit, we’re organizing a different kind of campaign, and because this moment calls for a different message and a different messenger, which I am. I’m a middle-class mayor from the industrial midwest, from a new generation, at a moment when America needs a new generation of leadership to step forward. Somebody who can speak to how growing up with school shootings as the norm; growing up in an age when climate is going to impact our life possibilities and choices; somebody who belongs to the generation that could be the first in history to be worse off than our parents if nothing is done to change our economy. Our party needs to demonstrate that it can speak to every part of the country, including a hometown like mine from the industrial midwest whose story is living proof that there is no such thing as an honest politics built around the word ‘again.’ That’s why I’m running for President. Thanks to the grace of a single vote on the Supreme Court, last year, I had the freedom to marry my husband, Chasten, while serving as the Mayor of South Bend, Indiana. Things are changing very quickly, but we have got a long way to go. Getting marriage equality did not end the struggle for equality in general for the LGBTQ community. You look at the fact that a lot of parts of the country lack basic protections, including parts of Indiana. More campaign information can be found at www.peteforamerica.com. GG
New Jersey Senator Cory Booker GG: Are you all in for the Iowa Caucuses? I am incredibly confident with where we are ahead of the Iowa Caucuses. We invested in organizing the Iowa way: we hired a team with deep Iowa ties and experience and got them on the ground early. They are now widely recognized as one of the best organizations in the state, and we are executing our plan to organize, organize, organize, and get hot at the end. We have earned more endorsements from Iowa elected officials and activists, including the Iowa Dems’ Stonewall Caucus Chair Kyla Paterson, than any other 2020 campaign. And now, thanks to a make-or-break fundraising push, we have the resources we need to keep growing our operation and secure our path to victory. GG: Are you actively seeking the LGBTQ vote in Iowa in preparation for the Caucus? The LGBTQ vote should be critical to anyone seeking the Democratic nomination for any office. Protecting and advancing the rights and interests of the LGBTQ community is central to who we are as Democrats. One of my favorite events of this campaign so far was when we stopped by Iowa Safe Schools’ summer camp to celebrate the youth participating in that groundbreaking program, and I was proud to participate in the LGBTQ Presidential Forum in Cedar Rapids just a few weeks ago. I will continue to raise issues of LGBTQ equality on the campaign trail and in debates because, as Dr. King says, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” GG: Why should the LGBTQ community support you in the Iowa Caucus for President? I believe that, as candidates, we should be talking about both what we will do as President and what we have already done. This issue of equality, this issue of justice existed long before this race began. I grew up with parents who talked to me openly and urgently about issues of justice in this nation. They let me know that the rights and privileges I enjoyed were fought for not just by Black Americans, but by the full rainbow of Americans who stood up for justice, and they expected that I would live the same way. So, when I began my professional career, I took on issues of housing discrimination. When I became Mayor of Newark, the first flag I raised was the American flag and the second flag I raised, for the first time in the history of my city, was the Pride flag. As mayor, I also had the power to officiate weddings, but I said I wouldn’t s until everyone had marriage equality. When I saw the violence against LGBTQ youth and staggering rates of LGBTQ youth homelessness in my city, I searched the country for models, brought in experts, and started to make safe spaces for those kids. In the Senate, I am a proud leading sponsor of the Equality Act. As a presidential candidate, I will not allow the disproportionate number of fatal violent incidents against transgender Black women to go ignored.
As your President and a lifelong ally on these issues, I will have a comprehensive agenda for the LGBTQ community on day one. This starts with building a team that is diverse and representative of the country we aim to serve. That includes an Attorney General who will fight to protect the rights and safety of LGBTQ Americans; and a Secretary of Education who actually taught in public schools and will stand up and protect every single one of our children, regardless of their gender identity or who they love. I will also repeal the despicable ban on transgender Americans serving in our military and bring about needed reforms to our veterans’ healthcare system. But this is work that the government cannot do alone. We all have an obligation to fight against the persistent injustices in our country, so that when we pledge allegiance to our flag and say the words “liberty and justice for all,” they are not aspirational, they are the truth and experience of the American people. GG: An important issue for the LGBTQ community is health care. How is your health care plan better than the other Democratic proposals? Health care is a human right, and we should be doing everything in our power to guarantee that right for every American. Second, health care isn’t just about treating illness, and it’s about making sure that every American is mentally and physically taken care of so they can go to school, go to work, and contribute to their communities. That is why I’m a co-sponsor of Medicare for All, which I believe is the best way to provide guaranteed, quality health care for every American. I am also the only member of the United States Senate who goes home to a low-income, inner-city community, and I know that for my neighbors who are paying too much of their income for care or prescriptions – choosing to go without or rationing medication – they cannot wait for progress. On the path to Medicare for All, I’m going to act immediately by doing things like lowering the cost of prescription drugs and lowering the eligibility age for Medicare to 55 years old. I would also roll back the Trump Administration’s efforts to strip access to healthcare and give license to discriminate against women and LGBTQ Americans. I will fully fund Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides crucial reproductive care. GG: Another essential issue is gender identity. Is someone’s birth gender identity his or her permanent legal gender, in your opinion? I believe that all Americans should have the freedom to live their lives authentically and that their gender identities should be affirmed by the government – not erased. Official documentation that accurately reflects one’s gender identity is legally significant and can help protect the person from harassment and discrimination. If any American’s gender marker on legal documentation doesn’t match their gender, they should be able to update the document, plain and simple. GG: Is there something more you would like to add about your campaign for the Democratic
nomination that’s not covered in any of the above questions? As a candidate running for President of the United States, I am blessed to have a platform to call attention that too often goes overlooked. One of those issues is violence against transgender Americans. Already this year, at least 19 transgender Americans have been murdered–many of them trans women of color. It is a crisis. An interview with Senator Booker by The Advocate can be found at www.GoGuideMagazine.com. Learn more about the campaign www.CoryBooker.com. GG
Businessperson Andrew Yang GG: In a recent Iowa poll, you did not receive very much support in the poll. Are you concerned about the low name recognition? Andrew Yang: We were thrilled to be included in CNN’s first poll of Iowa Caucus voters a few weeks ago, which showed that I had the same rate of top-level support as Kirsten Gillibrand, Eric Holder, and Tom Steyer. Seventeen percent of likely caucus voters knew who I was enough to have developed a strong opinion. Our message is working. We have a long way to go, but to have reached this point in 2018 is remarkable. We are achieving awareness levels far beyond our resources. Don’t get me wrong, though – we certainly need your and the entire LGBTQ community’s help to build on this success. We opened up our first office in Iowa last month. I am heading there for the 9th time at the end of January. On Jan. 30, we are having a Townhall with the LGBTQ community at the Iowa City Public Library at 5:30 pm, followed by an event at Prairie Lights at 7pm. Local press will be there. We are punching way above our weight class. We can change the course of history as long as we fight together. GG: Why should the LGBTQ community support you? Many folks in the LGBTQ community tell me I’m running on the most pro-LGBTQ presidential platform they’ve ever seen. My Iowa Campaign Coordinator dropped out of law school to work for me in part because he knows personally how transformative Universal Basic Income would be for the LGBTQ community. As he put it, the promise of “It Gets Better” is hollow without the promise of financial security in the case your family or community rejects you for who you are. The LGBTQ community is tragically overrepresented among foster children, the homeless, the poor, and the food-insecure. LGBTQ kids are kicked out by their parents at a higher rate than the general population. Fifteen percent of transgender peo-
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ple, and more than 30 percent of trans people of color, are living in severe poverty. The Freedom Dividend (which is how I’ve rebranded Universal Basic Income because it tests better with our conservative friends) would disproportionately benefit LGBTQ youth, especially LGBTQ kids of color, and give them the freedom to live full, authentic lives. The most direct and concrete way for the government to improve the lives of the LGBTQ community is to send you a check for $1,000 every month and let you spend it in whatever manner will benefit you the most. The government is not capable of a lot of things, but it is capable of sending large numbers of checks to large numbers of people promptly and reliably. We have plenty of resources, and they’re just not being distributed to enough people right now. We need to build a new kind of economy – one that puts people first. If there’s one policy that would transform the lives of LGBTQ Americans for the better, it is Universal Basic Income. I would, of course, also fight to extend legal nondiscrimination protections for the LGBTQ community. Sexual orientation and gender identity should be protected classes under the law, receiving all the federal protections afforded under the Constitution and civil rights law. GG: An important issue for the LGBTQ community is health care. How is your health care plan better than the other Democratic proposals? Healthcare should be a fundamental right for all Americans. I am for a Medicare for all. For more information, visit www.yang2020.com. GG
Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar GG: Can you win the Iowa Caucuses? Well, I’m your Senator next door, and as I like to say, I can see Iowa from my porch! I understand the Midwest, and I’ve been down to Iowa early and often. My plan is to go everywhere because I believe we need to talk to people all over the state. In Minnesota, I’ve won blue, purple, and the reddest of the red counties, and I’ve been successful because I listen, I meet people where they are, I hear about the things they need, and I get things done. We’re going to do the same thing in Iowa and across the country.
GG: Are you actively seeking the LGBTQ vote in Iowa and nationally? Yes. The LGBTQ community is going to be critical if Democrats are going to win in 2020, and that’s because the LGBTQ community knows how to win. In 2009 the Iowa Supreme Court made Iowa one of the first states in the nation to recognize same-sex marriage. And today, there are also more LGBTQ elected officials than ever before. Look at 2018, when we elected my friend Angie Craig, who was running to be the first openly gay member of Congress from Minnesota. We re-elected my nextdoor neighbor Tammy Baldwin. And we also elected over 150 LGBTQ candidates across the country, more than any previous election! GG: Why should someone who is gay, lesbian, transgender, or questioning vote for you for President? I believe that we need a President who has the backs of the LGBTQ community, and not a President who wakes up every morning trying to divide our country. We must cross the river of our divides, walk across the sturdy bridge of our democracy to a higher plane in the politics. And that includes fighting for the transgender person who wants to serve, or go to school, or just go out in their neighborhood, without fear. It includes fighting for the young gay man looking for his first apartment or his first job and fighting for the two moms who want to protect their family. And As your President, I will focus on getting things done. I have released a plan of more than 100 actions I will take during my first 100 days as President, and it includes priorities like combating hate crimes, lifting the ban preventing transgender people from serving in the military, and addressing homelessness, suicide and access to life-saving drugs in the LGBTQ community. I will also reverse the harmful anti-LGBTQ administrative actions taken by the Trump Administration when it comes to education, health care, and civil rights, and work to pass the Equality Act in year one of my presidency. GG: The LGBTQ community remembers the Orlando shooting at The Pulse Night Club. What is your plan to combat gun violence? Gun violence in America has cut short, far too many lives, torn families apart, and plagued communities across the country. From the shooting in Orlando to the recent tragedies in El Paso and Dayton to the everyday gun violence that takes the lives of the equivalent of a classroom of school children every week, it’s clear that gun safety policies are long overdue. I support a package of proposals including putting universal background checks in place by closing the gun show loophole, banning bump stocks, high capacity ammunition feeding devices and assault weapons, [continued on next page] closing the “Charleston loophole” and passing my bill to close the “boyfriend loophole.” Right now, federal law says if you’re convicted of abusing your wife, you can’t
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get a gun; if it’s your girlfriend, you can. My bill to close the boyfriend loophole has passed the House of Representatives and has been blocked by Republicans in the Senate -- it’s time to get it done. For too long, those who side with the NRA have blocked necessary reforms that save lives. I went to the White House and sat across the table from him to make a case for gun safety laws after Parkland. I kept track. Nine times he said he wanted universal background checks. Then the next day, he met with the NRA and folded. As your President, I won’t fold. The recent mass shootings were also disturbing reminders of the rise in hate in this country. I have been taking on hate crimes and combating hate since I was the Hennepin County Attorney. Because of my work on this issue as County Attorney, I was invited to the White House when President Bill Clinton proposed the Matthew Shepard federal hate crimes bill. In the Senate, I have continued to be a leader when it comes to taking on hate. And as President, I will end the hateful rhetoric that has become all too routine during the Trump Administration, and I will prioritize combating hate-motivated violence and domestic terrorism, including against the LGBTQ community. GG: Healthcare is another critical issue. Please tell us about your plan to improve and make our healthcare system better for all? Too many Americans struggle to pay for health care and their prescription drugs. I believe the Affordable Care Act is a beginning, not an end, and we need to make changes on both the state and federal level to bring down health care costs. That includes bringing down the cost of health care for everyone by putting a non-profit public option in place that allows people to buy into affordable health insurance coverage through Medicare or Medicaid. I have fought the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Before the Affordable Care Act was passed, LGBTQ people who were denied coverage had nowhere to turn, people living with HIV/AIDS couldn’t afford the prescription drugs they needed, and transgender people were flat-out denied care. We can’t let the Trump Administration take us backward. When people are sick, their focus should be on getting better, rather than on how they can afford their prescriptions, yet drug prices are an increasing burden across our country. I have been a strong advocate for tackling the high costs of prescription drugs, leading proposals to lift the ban on Medicare negotiations for prescription drugs, allow personal importation of safe drugs from countries like Canada, and stop pharmaceutical companies from blocking less-expensive generics. And as President, I’ll get this done.
GG: Is there anything more you would like to share with the GoGuide readers about your platform for President? One issue that we’re not talking about enough as a country is how we can support our rural areas. And this directly impacts the LBGTQ community -- between 3 million and 4 million LGBTQ people live in rural America. I firmly believe that kids who grow up in rural America and rural Iowa should be able to live there. That’s why I released a plan to help close the rural-urban divide and address some of the unique challenges facing rural areas. My plan is about expanding rural health care — including mental health and addiction treatment — saving rural hospitals, supporting critical access hospital and community health centers, and dramatically expanding telehealth services. It’s about making it easier for workers to housing and education and investing in our rural infrastructure, expanding rural broadband, and ending the digital divide. Follow Senator Klobuchar at www.AmyKlobuchar.com. GG
The complete GoGuide Caucus Guide is available online at www.GoGuideMagazine.com. You will find interviews with former Congressman John Delaney and Marrianne Williamson. Included online are endorsement letters for both Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Cory Booker and a whole lot more. GoGuideMagazine.com is your 24/7 election news source. GoGuide Media would like to thank all the candidates that participated in our Presidential Forum. All of the candidates were contacted to participate. The above candidates are the complete list of those that agreed to be interviewed by GoGuide for print. GoGuide would encourage all voters to give these candidates serious consideration in the upcoming Caucus. Starting Feb. 5 our focus will be on the primaries and the lead up to the general elections in Iowa. GoGuide and GoGuideMagazine. com are your 2020 election Headquarters.
Inside Iowa Theater by Matthew Brewbaker
Ah, what eventful autumn for theatre, so many shows and so many theatres
in the area; it brings me so much joy! Knowing that we live in a state and city where the theatre ranges from classics, musicals, and both Iowa and world premieres make this formerly east coast guy proud to be an Iowan. My resident theatre (Dreamwell Theatre) at the time of this writing just finished a fascinating project that fused art, poetry, movement, and theatre, and it leaves me craving more non-traditional narrative types of performances, so I am very excited by an event coming to Hancher in February. Even though it’s a few months away, I want to mention it now so everyone can plan accordingly. The Actors Gang will present The New Colossus February 28-29th. Featuring movement, live music, and poetry and spoken in 12 languages, this piece will explore the stories of immigrants whose families escaped oppression. It is sure to be a moving and powerful performance! Hancher will also be presenting the 2016 Tony award-winning revival of the musical The Color Purple January 24th – 26th. It should also be a breathtaking show and would be a great idea for giving an entertaining show as a holiday present. Visit the Hancher box office at https://hancher.uiowa. edu/tickets for more info. One of my good friends, Nate Sullivan, will be directing Almost Maine for Iowa City Community Theatre, which opens December 6th. This play by John Cariani is a collection of short plays exploring love and loss. Although not specifically a “holiday” show, it will serve as a thoughtful and heart-warm-
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ing antidote to the stresses of the holidays. Lots of former castmates, friends, and actors I’ve directed are in this show, and I’m very excited to see them all. Some may remember that Nate directed She Kills Monsters several years ago for ICCT, so while a very different story, it’s safe to say this will be a top-notch production. For those looking for more specific holiday fare, think about ordering tickets and heading to Des Moines for the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Concert, Fa-la-la, and All That Jazz. As the title suggests, this show will include a lot of holiday classics with some jazzy twists. Performances will be held at Plymouth Church, December. 20th and 21st. Go to www.dmgmc.org for tickets and details. There may still be time to take the whole family to see the classic musical Annie at Coralville Center for Performing Arts. This City Circle Acting Company production is directed by Elizabeth Tracey and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, especially for children. Go to www.citycircle.org for more information and to check on ticket availability. I’m sure I missed some fantastic holiday performances and events going on. As always, I invite any organizations to give me a heads-up well in advance if you have a theater or performance event you think I’d be interested in talking about. Another way you can help both the arts and theater community is by giving the gift of theater! Most of the organizations I’ve mentioned offer season passes, select multiple show passes, and gift certificates. Lastly, I’d encourage all of you to talk about the arts on social media and in person. Many times this “word of mouth” is precisely what the arts and live theatre need to break through the clutter and remind us how moving, thought-provoking, and enriching the arts are in our lives. Happy Holidays! GG
Prairie Lights Iowa City’s iconic, independent bookstore since 1978
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Sunday afternoon cocktails at Gene’s downtown Iowa City. Pictures by Tim Nedoba.