My name is Mika Covington, she, her, hers.

I would be honored to serve you as Chair of the Stonewall Caucus and to raise up your voices.

I am a transgender woman and it is because of being transgender I became involved in politics. I grew up in Nebraska where I had no civil rights protections. In high school, I had to fight for my rights. I fought to create a Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). I fought the administration to be called my preferred name and gender pronouns. I fought to be permitted to attend graduation, and I lost that fight.

To this day, I continue to fight for my civil rights. Living in Iowa, I continue to fight discrimination. I am fighting to get my medically necessary gender-affirming surgeries via the lawsuit.

It is because of the discrimination I have faced that I am passionate about politics, equality, and justice. The battles that I have faced taught me that if you want to see change, you must step up and create that change.

Eight years ago, I moved to Iowa to work for President Obama, to attend college and to get a kidney transplant at the University of Iowa Hospitals.

I was in high school when I first became involved in the LGBTQIA+ community here in Iowa, through volunteering with the Iowa Pride Network. I was then on the College Leadership team, organizing and leading the Southwest Iowa GSA Network, fighting anti-LGBTQIA+ bias on campus, and helping fill the education gap in Iowa on LGBTQIA+ issues and history.

I know that our Party has room to grow both in numbers and to become fully inclusive and welcoming of all LGBTQIA+, especially nonbinary and transgender people. I will listen to all and create a plan to make our party more inclusive.

If elected, I will work to ensure everyone is included and not just those who have been involved in our Party for years.

Most importantly, I will work to elect more Democrats! I will work with the caucus to set up LGBTQIA+ text and phone banks for our federal, state, and local candidates. During this Covid-19 time, I will hold monthly Zoom meetings so that we can stay connected and discuss issues.

I would be honored to have your support. I will be a strong, compassionate and dedicated voice for LGBTQIA+ Iowans as your chair.

Thank you!