Skip to main content

Iowa Teachers Who Were Suspended for “Wholesome” Drag Show Win $150K Settlement

posted by Kristi Wachter on

Want more good news?

Find more news about resistance, victories, and hopeful trends: weekly Extra! Extra! posts from Chop Wood, Carry Water; biweekly Just Good News posts from the Americans of Conscience Checklist; and Your Daily Dose of Climate Hope - plus pro-democracy protest photos every day from Today's Edition Newsletter.

One school district learned the hard way that targeting teachers for helping students can be a real drag.
Excerpt

The teachers accused the school district of discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation, as well as association with others based on sexual orientation. Blahunka identifies as queer, while Bjorklund is mother to a trans child. Hurley is a gay man.

The recently announced settlement includes around $27,700 for each teacher as well as $67,000 total for their attorney’s fees, totaling $150,000, per the Register. While the teachers’ attorneys did not offer comment, a spokesperson for the district told the Register that “the matter was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.”

Source
Them
Author
Mathew Rodriguez

March on Washington - Aug 28 2026 - Defend the Vote

March on Washington Aug 28 2026 Defend the Vote

 

March on Washington - August 28: gather in Washington DC to Defend the Vote

Join this peaceful, nonpartisan, interfaith, and intergenerational gathering as we defend the right to vote and protect democracy. We are not gathering simply to remember history - we are gathering to make it.

Find events near you

Take action:

Action is the antidote to fear and despair.

Take Action

You can make a difference.

It's okay to start small.

Action is the antidote to fear and despair.

Even doing small things - learning more about how we can strengthen our democracy, sharing what you know with others, making a phone call - can make a difference.

Right now is a great time to take action.

Hope

Need hope? Read this.