As part of the Iowa City Public Library’s Intellectual Freedom Festival, the City’s Office of Equity and Human Rights is partnering with the Library to host a program addressing Iowa’s new anti-LGBTQ+ education law. The event will be held from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 4, in Meeting Room A at the Library, 123 S. Linn St. The presentation will also be live-streamed on the ICPL YouTube Channel. This collaboration will replace Equity and Human Rights’ monthly Lens series programming for October.
About the Program
The program will provide an overview of the law, SF 496. Among other things, it includes a “don’t say gay” provision for grades K-6 (although some districts intend to expand that to all schools), forces outing of LGBTQ+ students, and bans any book with any description of “a sex act” in any grade. Find out what the law says and how parents, students, and school staff can respond. There will be ample time for questions following the presentation.
About the Presenter
Keenan Crow is the Director of Policy and Advocacy at OneIowa, a statewide LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. As One Iowa’s staff lobbyist and spokesperson on policy issues, they are on the front lines of the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in the state of Iowa. Crow has worked to train a diverse number of organizations and institutions around LGBTQ+ issues including K-16 educators, local and federal agencies, businesses, and healthcare providers. In 2019, they became the first non-binary person to moderate a presidential forum. They are a recipient of the 2023 Interfaith Alliance of Iowa partner award and the 2023 Iowa Environmental Council’s Impact Through Advocacy Award.
