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That Thomas Wolfe Phrase
Dear Friends:
Earlier this month I travelled back to Cedar Rapids for a friend’s retirement party. The trip allowed me to catch up with friends and some family, and it was a good but brief break from the routine of writing, Peloton riding, and walking Jack.
Cedar Rapids has changed dramatically in the fourteen years since I last lived there—in some respects, it’s far more hip with a vibrant downtown and revitalized near-downtown area named “NewBo.” I was amazed at the number of restaurants and shops that would fit in just nicely up here in the Twin Cities.
On the other hand, the City’s vibe—and that of Iowa in general—was less welcoming. Much of my discomfort related to the political climate; in fact, on the day that I drove down, Iowa’s governor Kim Reynolds unveiled anti-transgender legislation that, if enacted, would define “man” and “woman” based on one’s biological sex at birth, meaning that transgender humans would no longer exist in the eyes of the state. Additionally, the proposed law would require trans people like me (who have transitioned surgically) to have both “M” and “F” as gender markers on their driver’s license, the equivalent of Nazi Germany’s “pink triangle.”
News of the proposed legislation was disheartening, to say the least. I was struck by how far Iowa had fallen from 2009 when its Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of same-sex marriage (in fact, came out as “Ellen Krug” just a month after that decision).
Even more, I remembered that as a youth, Iowa’s Republican governor Bob Ray opened the state to refugees from the wars in Vietnam and Laos. Certainly, that degree of public altruism would be impossible today given Iowa’s political climate.
The author Thomas Wolfe is credited with coining the phrase, “you can't go home again.” I had resisted the idea that maybe Iowa was no longer my true home, but now I’m not so sure. It very well may be that I’ll never again feel comfortable in the state where I grew up, fell in love, went to college, helped raise a family, practiced law, and volunteered.
And that makes me sad. Really sad.
On a more positive note, please recall that I’ll be doing a public Gray Area Thinking© on Thursday March 14 at the Event Center in Chaska. Please consider coming, and please share about this—here’s the registration link. I’d like as many people there as possible!
Also, things are too hectic for me to provide a full newsletter, so once again you have an abbreviated Ripple. Thanks for understanding!
Finally, please remember that I care about you! I’m here if you ever need an ear or a virtual shoulder. Have a great start to the end of winter!
ellie
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