DAVENPORT, IOWA (May 15, 2023) — Young people cry out for help all over Iowa and rural Illinois. They have been disrespected, bullied, name-called, and physically attacked — all because of who they are as LGBTQ+ human beings. Many feel isolated and lonely and commit acts of self-harm. The rhetoric is amplified by targeted hate legislation that came out of Iowa this Spring, and by politicians currying votes in stoking fear of “the other,” who isn’t “like us.”