EAST MOLINE, ILLINOIS (June 15, 2023) — A key leader on the front lines of fighting Iowa’s anti-LGBTQ laws this year, Aime Wichtendahl, will participate in Saturday's QC Unity Pride Parade in Moline.
Hiawatha City Council Member Wichtendahl is the first-ever openly transgender person to be elected to public office in the state of Iowa and is in her second term at the post. In addition, this year she has testified before Iowa Senate and House legislative committees, spoken at protests, fielded media interviews, wrote columns, and filmed videos for statewide activist groups to help fight and respond to the state's anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
She’ll be part of Saturday’s annual QC Unity Pride Parade, after also being a guest speaker at the Ottumwa Pride celebration earlier this month.
“This year, more than ever, it’s important that we celebrate Pride to show that the ‘powers that be’ won't erase our community,” said Wichtendahl, who is also a mom, and a regularly published writer. “To come together and celebrate each other and stand together in the face of adversity, that’s why I want to celebrate Pride in as many parts of our region as I can.”
Wichtendahl is also featured in a series of outreach videos from One Iowa, and she participated in or spoke at protests in Cedar Rapids of presidential candidate Mike Pence, and at the Iowa Capitol. Later this month, she'll talk about Iowa's new anti-LGBTQ+ laws to the Polk County Democratic Club.
She says she feels called to make more appearances outside of Hiawatha to help counter the “Don’t Say Gay” and other laws passed by the Iowa Legislature and Governor Kim Reynolds this year.
Wichtendahl is also the 2021 Donna Red Wing Award Advocate of the Year from One Iowa. The award is named after One Iowa’s founder and is given each year to someone in the state who provides transcendent activism on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community.
Wichtendahl will be riding in the parade with The Real Mainstream (TRM) team. The Real Mainstream is an LGBTQ-affirming, intersectional print publication, and website founded in 2019 and serving Illinois and Iowa.
Among the topics Wichtendahl has covered for The Real Mainstream: Caitlyn Jenner, a documentary exploring conversion therapy, LGBTQ representation in video games, and reviews of the latest Matrix movie and “Way of the Water.”
The parade starts at 2:30PM at Vibrant Arena and continues east on River Drive, turning right (south) on 17th Street, turning right (west) on 5th Avenue, then turning right (north) on 12th Street. Parade observers are encouraged to line the entire route and cheer on the participants.
About The Real Mainstream
TRM is an LGBTQ affirming, intersectional print publication and website serving all of Iowa and Illinois with news, commentary, culture, and events that serve marginalized communities. Learn more at therealmainstream.com.
