The Interfaith Alliance of Iowa has honored Bleeding Heartland with its 2025 Partner Organization award, “in recognition of your significant commitment to keep Iowans informed with a vital free press, an essential part of a strong democracy.”

Only one other media outlet has received this award from the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa: The Storm Lake Times and its Pulitzer Prize-winning editor Art Cullen in 2019.

The Interfaith Alliance of Iowa is a 501(c) 3 organization that describes itself as “the only statewide, non-partisan, progressive voice for people of faith and no faith protecting religious freedom, safeguarding the line between religion and government, ensuring religion is not misused to discriminate, championing individual rights, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism.”

The group also honored two other Iowans at a May 29 celebration, themed “Challenging Extremism—Reclaiming Our Democracy.” Iowa City Mayor Pro Tem and city council member Mazahir Salih received the Joy Corning Public Leader Award, and the Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, received the Community Leader Award.

From left: Interfaith Alliance of Iowa executive director Connie Ryan, board chair John McCormally, board member Tiara Mays-Sims, Bishop Betsey Monnot, Mazahir Salih, Laura Belin, board member Rev. Meg Wagner, board member Mary Riche (photo by State Senator Janice Weiner)

I enclose below the remarks I delivered at the organization’s May 29 event. I focused on my perspective as someone who frequently sees the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa in action at the state legislature.

Transcript:

It’s an honor to be here. My siblings and I have supported the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa since before Bleeding Heartland was even my out-of-control hobby, let alone my full-time job, which it is now.

As Jews who grew up in Iowa, we have always understood that not everyone who lives here is Christian. But that reality is lost on some people, like the “Judeo-Christian values” crowd.

But I don’t want to talk about them. Because we’re here to celebrate the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa.

And you already know this group does important work. But I want to share some of my perspective as someone who spends a lot of time at the statehouse.

Because there probably aren’t many people who watch more Iowa House and Senate subcommittees than I do. I mean, dozens of them some weeks. From the bills you’ve all heard of, to just the really obscure and stupid ideas, like separate P.E. standards for boys and girls in schools—like that one, it got a subcommittee hearing, Representative [Elinor] Levin can back me up on this.

And time and again, Connie Ryan shows up to remind legislators that not all Iowans are Christians, and not all Christian Iowans support their narrow agenda.

And I need to tell you that not every lobbyist is willing to speak like that when the odds are against them.

I mean, five or six years ago, when only a few legislators on the fringe of their party were pushing for bathroom bills, or bans on playing sports and gender-affirming care, and taking people’s civil rights away—there were a number of organizations that publicly registered their opposition to that.

But then, as soon as powerful politicians started pushing for those same attacks on LGBTQ Iowans, those entities with roots in the corporate world just went silent.

And it is an accident of history that right now our state’s leaders and their allies in the media decided that they want to score points by demonizing transgender people and immigrants. They could be picking on other groups.

In the 1930s, the most popular radio personality in the country was broadcasting hatred of Jews to millions of Americans on a weekly basis. That was in my parents’ lifetimes!

So one thing I know is that when a bill would hurt vulnerable people, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa is not going to ask, “Will the governor get mad if we speak out? Will this hurt our chances to get some other bill through committee?”

When an unjust bill pops up at the statehouse, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa is never going to say, oh, we’re going to sit this one out because they already have the votes to pass that.

So this group will never throw transgender Iowans under the bus.

It will never throw pregnant Iowans under the bus.

And it will never throw newer Iowans under the bus.

No matter which way the political winds are blowing, the Interfaith Alliance of Iowa will not throw any of us under the bus.

So, I am proud to accept this award. And I promise you this: Bleeding Heartland will always be a platform for those who share that inclusive vision of an Iowa for everyone.