It’s Friday, Dec. 1.

Hey folks, it’s Amie.

December 1 is World AIDS Day, which was started in 1988 as an annual reminder of those who lost their lives to the virus as well as ending stigma and shame surrounding HIV/AIDS.

It was once incorrectly slandered as “the gay disease,” and is still criminalized in many parts of the country, which has the unintended effect of fewer people learning their HIV status. (Iowa made it a felony to knowingly spread HIV in 1998, though that law was revised to include other infectious diseases in 2014.)

The good news: Treatments for HIV/AIDS have gotten better, cheaper, and more available (in rich countries), people are living longer, and deaths due to AIDS have declined. 

But: One in seven people living with HIV has no idea they’re infected—meaning they’re not getting life-saving treatment, and they could be inadvertently passing it on to others.

So this year, be part of the solution and get tested. Your county’s public health office will test you for free (and might even throw in an extra perk, like Black Hawk County is doing!)

Iowa removed mandatory HIV instruction in schools as part of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ education bill this year. Which is infuriatingly unhelpful, as one in five new HIV diagnoses in Iowa is in people ages 13 through 24.

Burying our heads in the sand, however, will not make HIV/AIDS go away. Getting tested and knowing your status, by contrast, will give you the best chance at a long life.

Find a free test (a simple blood test/finger prick) and support services near you here.

We need to buy gifts for our loved ones, but we ONLY want Iowa-made gifts.

Where should we go?

7 Iowa families file federal lawsuit to stop anti-LGBTQ+ law 

Someone threatened to kill Percy Batista-Pedro when he was a freshman performing in the school play.

Now a junior in high school in the Waterloo Community School District, Percy—a transgender student—said he feels like he has a target on his back because of an anti-LGBTQ+ law passed by Iowa Republicans this year and signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

That’s why Percy, along with six other families, signed on to be a plaintiff in a new lawsuit challenging the law’s constitutionality.

Read Nikoel’s write-up here.

And another one: Giant book publisher Penguin Random House filed a SECOND lawsuit on Thursday—and they’re joined by two Iowa teachers, an Iowa school librarian, an Iowa high school student, the Iowa State Education Association and four young-adult authors.

Here’s what’s different about this one.

We’re kicking off our end-of-the-year fundraiser drive and looking to raise $2,800 by Dec. 12.

Ty and Avery break down some of their favorite journalism of the year here.

We can only keep doing that kind of work with your help. (If you need our address to send a check instead, email me!)

Sweet Potato lives up to his name as he’s both sweet and often found sleeping (on his back in his kennel). He’d love a new family with comfortable spots to relax in, especially if they involve cuddling. Check him out here.

After coming to the shelter underfed, Lita has bounced back from her years of neglect and is looking for a home that appreciates her energy and her silliness. She loves playing and having dog friends. If you’re not a cat person and you’re in need of a new friend, check her out here.

US Sen. Joni Ernst from Iowa had this totally normal response to a fellow senator saving her life during a Senate GOP lunch on Thursday.

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