Founded in 2002, Iowa Safe Schools worked for five years by hosting community forums across the state and talking to leaders one on one about the importance of protecting all students. These forums led to movements in many Iowa communities to pass protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. In 2007, Iowa became the 10th state in the nation to pass a comprehensive Safe Schools Law that protects ALL students. During that year, Iowa passed the Anti-Bullying & Anti-Harassment Act as well as expanding the Iowa Civil Rights Code to include both sexual orientation and gender identity, with the latter being repealed during the 2025 legislative session. After years lobbying in the Iowa Legislature to pass these important bill, Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge made it a priority in their first two months in office to pass. The bipartisan vote on SF 61 made protecting students in schools not only an ethical, professional, and moral obligation – but a legal one. In Fall 2016, Iowa Safe Schools launched the GSA Network program, with the mission of empowering students to create safe spaces in Iowa schools through youth activism and community support. It is designed to provide resources and support to LGBTQ and allied students in Iowa, as well as educators and GSA advisors. The Network connects GSAs across the state, and assist students interested in starting a GSA get their group off the ground. Since then, the Iowa GSA Network has grown to represent GSAs across the state of Iowa. While the political and cultural environment has shifted radically since our organization was founded, we remain a steadfast support for LGBTQ youth across the state.