West DSM News

School board candidates Meg Dickinson (District 4) and Nancy Baker Curtis (District 3) and at-large candidate Shaylee Vander Velden have received the support of several groups, including the DCG chapter of Unite Against Book Bans, that are in favor of providing books that have been described as pornographic to minors, including sexually explicit graphic novels. Dickinson herself, along with DCG's chapter of Unite Against Book Bans, has been vocal in her opposition to Gov. Kim Reynolds in response to Reynolds signing bills banning "gender-affirming health care" for minor children and requiring students to use bathrooms and locker room facilities that correspond with their biological sex.

The Dallas Center-Grimes Board of Education is holding elections on Tuesday, Nov. 7. Voters will elect members to fill four open seats: One each in Districts 3 and 4, and two at-large members. Members serve rotating four-year voluntary terms, according to their website. 

The Board is fully responsible for dictating all school matters within legal and regulatory limits. The Board's policy decisions are ultimately carried out by district administrators. The Dallas Center-Grimes Board consists of seven members, their website stated.

Dickinson, Baker Curtis and Vander Velden have all received the endorsement and support of DCG Unite Against Book Bans. This group has been outspoken against parental rights and in favor of giving children access to sexually explicit reading materials like "This Book is Gay," "Gender Queer" and "Sold." They have also condemned Reynolds and Iowa Republicans over laws denying "gender-affirming care" to minor children and have likened the pro-parental rights group Moms for Liberty to the Westboro Baptist Church. 

“I do not understand why some have fought so hard for the ability of public schools to provide sexually explicit content to minors, and I am thankful the Iowa legislature passed SF 496 this last spring to protect children from this material," Angela Wennell, a local parent and Moms for Liberty chapter chair told West DSM News. "I think the stance candidates took on this issue is a strong indication of their view of parental rights and how they will discern the appropriate dividing line between the responsibility of public schools and the rights of parents to direct the moral upbringing of their children. The issue of parental rights reaches far beyond library books.”

A group called Bake Back Better has been fundraising in support of Dickinson and Vander Velden. The group, which fundraises for Democratic campaigns and causes, is utilizing Act Blue as the platform for their donations.

Baker Curtis has also received the support of Bake Back Better and has also volunteered with the group. This past July, Baker Curtis announced that the group was fundraising for Annie's Foundation, which advocates for "banned books" for Iowa public schoolchildren.

Some of the "banned books" that Annie's Foundation wants readily available to children include sexually explicit graphic novels "Gender Queer" and "Blue is the Warmest Color," as well as sexually explicit novels "Red Hood" and "A Court of Mist and Fury."

Analyses by BookLooks.org found that "Gender Queer" and "Blue is the Warmest Color" featured sexually charged language and graphic illustrations of sex acts involving minors. "Red Hood" and "A Court of Mist and Fury" were flagged for graphic depictions of sex acts. All four received ratings of 4, "Not for Minors."

In October, Annie's Foundation sponsored a family storytime event with drag queen Big Momma Jean at the First Annual Beaverdale Banned Books Festival.

In March 2023, Dickinson showed support for and amplified a post from a woman selling "F*CK KIM REYNOLDS" merchandise to raise money for an Iowa LGBTQ nonprofit, according to a Facebook post. The fundraising campaign was in response to Reynolds signing bills banning "gender-affirming health care" for minor children and requiring students to use bathrooms that correspond with their biological sex. In response to commenters who criticized the post's vulgarity, Dickinson said that she could have suggested far worse to do to Reynolds, such as "taking away her autonomy in her own healthcare" and "preventing her children and grandchildren’s access to life-affirming care."

In May 2023, Dickinson posted on her Facebook page that she had donated to a fundraiser for The Trevor Project.

The Trevor Project, according to its website, has an extensive "Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Young People," which emphasizes that it's really important to support and encourage young people to explore their gender identities.

The Trevor Project also offers TrevorSpace, "an affirming, online community for LGBTQ young people between the ages of 13-24 years old."

Also, in May 2023, Dickinson posted a photo on her Facebook page of her and her daughter posing with drag queens at a Drag Story Hour. She called the event "literally the most fun, loving, inclusive, inspiring, warm, caring, uplifting event ever."