The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa will posthumously recognize Casey Gradischnig with one of its highest honors, the Edward S. Allen Award, at the ACLU of Iowa Bill of Rights Brunch on Oct. 12. Named for the Iowa State University professor who founded the ACLU of Iowa in 1935, the award recognizes longtime civil liberties heroes. Gradischnig, who died in May at 57, was a groundbreaking advocate for transgender people who “started with a simple but powerful act: talking openly to those he met about LGBTQ issues and his own journey.” A former designer for Meredith Corp., Gradischnig led the design for the national ACLU magazine Stand, which went on to win a long list of awards and reimagined how the ACLU communicates with its supporters and the larger world. He also served on the ACLU board until health problems made it difficult to continue to serve. Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu, who chronicled Gradischnig’s advocacy, wrote after his death: “What made Casey so great to work with on these topics were his self-awareness and lack of shame or fear about the stigma of being different. He approached everything as an intellectual and artist, and with his funny, endearing personality, he never took himself too seriously.” For event details, click here.