Activists and Iowa City residents gathered at College Green Park to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility Monday evening. There was singing and dancing, along with poem readings and speeches.
Mandi Remington, founder and director of the Corridor Community Action Network and Johnson County Board of Supervisors member, organized the event. She emphasized the importance of showing up as a community for the rights of transgender Iowans.
“Visibility is power. Visibility is defiance. In a state where trans Iowans are under attack, where health care, education, and very existences are being targeted, showing up together like this is an act of resistance,” Remington said in her speech. “We’re here today to be loud, to be unapologetic, and to make it clear that trans Iowans are not alone, and we all belong here.”
The rally is the finale of a week of events celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility and raising money for the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund, an organization that helps people get access to gender-affirming care. Remington said they have raised almost $4,000 so far, excluding the final fundraising amount from an event hosted at FilmScene Sunday night, a showing of the film “I Saw the TV Glow.”
Remington added that she hopes the event acts as a call to action for other community members.
“Speak up. You see any kind of micro-aggression, you see any kind of act of violence against trans community members or any community members, especially if they’re part of a marginalized group, then say something,” she said.
Josh Moe, an Iowa City councilor, also attended the event. He said it is important to recognize transgender individuals in the Iowa City community, especially at a time when statewide legislation may not.
“It is important to know that there are trans people and their allies everywhere in Iowa City and that this is an event of happiness and joy,” Moe said. “I know so many of the claims in Des Moines about trans people are that they are not good people, and that is just wrong. Having a demonstration of people singing and enjoying each other is really valuable.”
Moe and Remington both mentioned that while state legislation going into effect on July 1, 2025, has removed gender identity from state civil rights protections, the Iowa City human rights ordinance does still protect people on the basis of gender identity.
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Iowa City residents Anya and Abbey Schafer-VanHoutte said they showed up to the rally as members of the LGBTQ+ community to support transgender community members.
“We’re trying to show up in whatever ways that we can. And of course, we’ve been through this before as queer people who, until however many years ago, couldn’t be married in the state,” Anya Schafer-VanHoutte said.
They brought signs on which were a drawing of a transgender flag in the shape of Iowa and the words “You Belong” in bold writing. They said the signs were going to be used to block any potential counter-protesters at the rally.
“If we saw people here throwing hate, we were gonna put our signs in front of them so that these people could enjoy their day,” Anya Schafer-VanHoutte said. “ I am thrilled to see that that hasn’t happened, that there’s not anybody here throwing ugliness.”
Abbey Schafer-VanHoutte emphasized that a person does not have to be transgender to show up or celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility.
“You can still be here in solidarity, and you can still show up for your neighbors, and your family for that matter,” she said.
Taylor Pacheco, a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa, commented on rhetoric from activists who are trying to educate on the cause that says being transgender is a choice or even something pressured on children.
“To people who don’t understand, we don’t want your kids to be trans. We’re not trying to trans your kids,” he said. “But if your kids are trans, we just want them to live. We want them to survive.”