Why I’m running – Sondra Wilson for Iowa Governor

   I am extremely concerned about the future of my beloved home state. I believe Governor Reynolds and Iowa’s current Legislature are taking us in the wrong direction, especially with regard to the safety and wellbeing of women and LGBT+ Iowans.  Additionally, I don’t believe the issues I truly care about, which are outlined in my above platform, will be voiced unless I run for office and join the debates.

   As Governor, I will prioritize protecting the individual rights and wellbeing of every Iowan. I will work on behalf of Iowans no matter their political party, religion, or lack thereof.  We are all Americans!  Veterans fought and died so that our generation can enjoy the rights we have.  We are so blessed and fortunate to have these rights, and we should not take them lightly or for granted.  

     “The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sun beam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by mortal power.’’

 – Alexander Hamilton, “The Farmer Refuted”

   I am tired of the sports team mentality (red vs. blue) our country has sunk into!  I think we focus too much on party affiliation, and not enough on having meaningful, constructive, thoughtful conversations held in a manner which indicate to one another that we genuinely care for each other. It is my hope that the platform I am running on, and the manner in which I will do my best to run this campaign, can help heal the rift which not only has enveloped our state, but also our nation.

  I believe that having a high moral character and a strong sense of justice are necessary for any and all government officials. I believe in a well-educated, political active and socially conscious Citizenry ought to be a shared goal all Iowans hold dear. Again – Veterans fought and died to protect one of the few nations on planet Earth wherein the Citizens are the rightful masters to whom the Constitution binds the Government to service. Our rights to vote should not be taken lightly nor for granted.  Thank you dearly Veterans.  

    I want to add that, as a transgender woman, I am grateful to live in a nation where I am not murdered simply for existing. We live in a free country. It doesn’t matter what color you are, your national origin or ethnicity, sexual orientation or gender identity, or religious views we were born into – we are all Americans, and we should not be divided over trite issues.

     As for religion, I think there is good in every one of them I’ve studied: something to be learned, valued, and passed on because it helps to set our moral compasses due north!  I also see that every religion, although divinely inspired, was created by humans, and is flawed. Our state and our nation should not be subverted in order to enforce one group of peoples’ beliefs onto everyone else.  The United States of America is a “last bastion of hope” – one of the few nations on planet Earth that is not ruled by a theocracy. Many of our ancestors fought and died, or fled and escaped such governments so that our descendants might finally be free. If you decide to thank a Veteran for protecting your rights, know that that very concept is enshrined in what they fought for. This is an American value. 

    I firmly believe in upholding the state and U.S. Constitutions including the Bill of Rights. I believe every American should have access to clean water, air, and soil for growing food for subsistence purposes. I believe that as a nation, we are not living in an ecologically sustainable manner, and it is my hope the that the urban gardening movement within my platform for Governor can help to steer society toward greater individual freedom and a more resource abundant future for all Iowans including future generations.

    I believe in respecting people and treating others the way that you want to be treated, whether in-person or from behind the ballot box.  I believe women should be treated with respect including respecting their sovereignty over their bodies. To me this includes the right to have an abortion.  I believe it is immoral to coerce a woman to give birth when her conscience tells her otherwise.  We can raise people with good morals, but ultimately, we must instill trust and respect to each other at the end of the day. While I do believe that life is precious and sacred, I also believe it is wrong to force one’s own religious beliefs onto other people, whether in-person or through the ballot box.  It is my hope that Iowans will join me in this sentiment toward respect for women, and respect for people in general. 

      It is a duty of the State of Iowa, as a neighbor to the Meskwaki Nation, to keep an open dialogue with them to ensure we are doing our best to work for restorative justice where necessary and able. On 1/17/2024 I reached out to them to request input regarding how we may help them meet needs which are not currently being met. Additionally, I support native tallgrass prairie restoration because it is one of the most beautiful, unique, and valuable creations on the planet. Although not written into my platform yet, I will seek to help Iowa invest in tallgrass prairie restoration as we can afford.

     I will continue to update this page and each section of my platform throughout my campaign. It is my contract to you. If you decide to elect me for Governor, and I do not uphold my campaign promises to the very best of my ability, I want you to sue me for fraud!  I have no intention of betraying your trust. I swear to you that I will do everything in my power to steer the State of Iowa toward the best future that you and I can co-create.

    Thank you so much for taking the time to read my platform.  Feel free to email [email protected] to join my email list. I only send them out once/week so that you don’t get overwhelmed with emails (I know how it is!!).

How I came to the conclusion “I need to run”:

     After enduring years of homelessness, I returned to Iowa in 2018. You can read about some of the struggles here in Iowa within the lawsuit I recently filed against the state.

      Ignited by North Carolina’s anti-transgender bathroom bill, i2021 set a record number of anti-transgender bills across the nation at the time. In December that year, I began attending Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), and in Oral Communications with Professor Brooke Long I gave a speech called It’s cheaper to help trans people than it is to oppress them. Although is was my first speech, and I was still young at it, I believe the meat of the speech – the following mathematical breakdown, speaks volumes with regard to how nationally (and culturally) we have wrongly been handling this issue:

  1. According to Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, it costs ~$140,450 to transition from trans women (mtf), and $124,400 for trans men.1 Medically transitioning costs ~$130,000 on average.
  2. There are approximately 1.4 million transgender patients seeking medical assistance in the US.2
  3. That means it would cost ~$182 billion to pay for all transgender peoples’ surgeries ($130,000 x 1.4 million people).
  4. AP Press calculated that North Carolina’s bathroom bill cost ~$3.76 billion.3 Let’s round that down to 3 billion assuming it’s a more costly bill.
  5. There were more than 100 anti-trans bills proposed in 2021.4 Let’s round that down to 100. Note: That doesn’t include the more than 70 executive orders made by the Trump admin.5
  6. $3 billion per bill x 100 bills = *$300,000,000,000 total cost of bills.
  7. Conclusion: $300,000,000,000 (cost of bills) ÷ $182 billion (cost for all trans people to transition) = ~$1.65. Therefore, instead of campaigning “to keep male predators out of restrooms and sports”, GOP etc. could spend ~half that amount and pay for all trans people (who are seeking medical attn) to transition.

    On March 8, 2023 there was a “We Say Trans” rally hosted by Iowa Queer Student Alliance.  As I stated in an impromptu speech that would have gone better rehearsed, one line I said from it summed everything up, “I’m here because I don’t want the next generation to go through what I did.”  What I was referencing were undue hardships I endured which are described in my lawsuit. 

     After the rally, we (the protestors and concerned Citizens) attended the legislative session as we heard health professionals and firsthand testimonies from people who seemed like they could have told facts to the Legislature until they were blue in the face and it wouldn’t make any difference: the Legislators are primarily concerned with how their constituents are going to vote – not the people in front of the room. This is when I realized that somehow we needed our message to reach out to all Iowans; many of them only learn about transgender related issues through conservative talk show hosts who know little about the topic, and who clearly have their prejudices. 

    On March 31, 2023 I was given the honor of participating in a three-minute thesis competition at the Upper Midwest Regional Honors Council’s annual gathering. I actually finished writing the speech, but then woke up the morning of the speech and rewrote it (which is why I’m reading the speech off a piece of paper in the speech) because I realized I needed to run for Governor, and needed to conclude my speech by announcing it.  I deduced that the only way to make things better is to replace the people who are currently doing the job: I have vital firsthand experience which ought to be considered by Iowans when deciding on trans-related issues. I was feeling misrepresented and unrepresented, and could hear (and still can) – among the national and statewide political dialogue surrounding this issue – that there are vital factors to consider which must be brought to the table.  I believe The Creator has a plan for me, and this is part of my mission. That said, this is not the main issue I am running for office. I believe that if I don’t run for Governor, important proposals I know we need very badly here in Iowa – such as the Justice Accessibility Act and the Urban Gardening Program – that won’t be brought up on the debates unless I jump into the ring. These are the types of common sense solutions that politicians never seem to bring up.  

    I believe that we the people can co-create a better platform than would otherwise be presented to us by politicians. If you have an idea to improve the plan I have written, please write to me about it at [email protected].

Thank you,

Sondra Wilson