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Category: Opinion

Transgender pioneer Wichtendahl highlights hope while fighting Iowa’s anti-LGBTQ+ bills

Transgender pioneer Wichtendahl highlights hope while fighting Iowa’s anti-LGBTQ+ bills

by | Mar 7, 2023 | , , , , , , , , | 0

Aime Wichtendahl, Iowa’s first-ever openly transgender elected official, has been at the forefront of all the protests and efforts to stop a flood of anti-LGBTQ+ bills.

The two-term Hiawatha City Council member was in Cedar Rapids when former Vice President Mike Pence swing through to spew anti-transgender rhetoric. She spoke before an Iowa House submittee, trying to convince its members to stop a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for minors.

And Wichtendahl, also the One Iowa Donna Red Wing Advocate of the Year 2021, gave a rousing speech before more than 1,000 Iowans at One Iowa’s Rally to Resist at the Iowa Capitol Sunday

“Our liberties we prize, our rights we shall maintain.” Those are the words on the Iowa state flag, that Wichtendahl hearkens in her column about the ongoing battle to stop Iowa Republicans from rolling back LGBTQ+ rights.

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“The Way of Water” is stunning, important and helps redeem the original “Avatar”

“The Way of Water” is stunning, important and helps redeem the original “Avatar”

by | Jan 12, 2023 | , , , , , , , | 0

Like many, Aime Wichtendahl was initially a skeptic about “The Way of Water,” James Cameron’s massive and much-anticipated sequel to the original “Avatar” film.

But after taking in the three-hour film, Wichtendahl is a fan of the new “Avatar 2” and gained a renewed appreciation of the original “Avatar” released in 2009.

“James Cameron is trying to help us learn. By tapping into the universal nostalgia we all feel – that once there was a time everything was perfect before someone screwed it up – he’s trying to tell us something. He’s trying to wake us up to how we’re impacting the world around us. ‘The Way of Water’ illustrates that despite our best efforts, humanity remains incapable of change.“

Read Wichtendahl’s review of this blockbuster film here.

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Four vegan holiday recipes to make your meal preparation easier, kinder

Four vegan holiday recipes to make your meal preparation easier, kinder

by | Dec 22, 2022 | , , , , , , , | 0

Looking for a way to bring some plant-based love to your holiday meals? Check out four vegan holiday recipes to make your meal celebration easier and kinder!

Find easy recipes for the main dish of Sheperd’s Pie the decorative side dish of Apple Cranberry and Kale Salad; the festive Plantiful Holiday Cheez Balls; and sweet Molasses Crinkle Cookies.

These recipes are provided courtesy of The Plantiful Pantry in Mount Vernon, Ia., which also provides a regular column for The Real Mainstream on plant-based cooking. Read on for their first-ever column on vegan holiday recipes!

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Convert your anger into action

Convert your anger into action

by | Jun 12, 2022 | , , , , , , | 0

Scientifically, if we are angry about injustices, our brain is working. The amygdala is the part of the brain that identifies threats, and it reacts even before the cortex, which is the part of the brain in charge of judgment.  When the amygdala responds, it sends out adrenaline, which can propel us to action.  Anger is what has made every wrong in our history into a right.

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“Stranger Things” and Will Byers’ understated “coming out”

“Stranger Things” and Will Byers’ understated “coming out”

by | Jun 10, 2022 | , , , , , , , | 0

When Will Byers of “Stranger Things” came out, “t was unsafe for white cisgender gay men,and even more dangerous for marginalized identities. Will is undoubtedly living in a reality where both his physical and emotional safety could be at risk if anyone found out he was gay,” writes Tyler Mitchell.

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