You gotta wonder why Gov. Kim Reynolds doesn’t simplify her vendetta against transgender Iowans. Have some guts, governor. Give a speech. Tell Iowans your true objective.
Because with her latest bill, it’s become obvious the governor wants transgender Iowans to get out. Hit the road. Or, at least, disappear into the shadows. Your very existence offends her.
Transgender Iowans refuse to conform to the governor’s view of morality. They trespass against her version of Christianity. They mess up her idea of what Iowa should be, white, Christian and straight. Reynolds believes all of us must live under laws reflecting her preferences.
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Otherwise, why would she champion legislation making it legal to provide “separate but equal” accommodations for trans Iowans in state run or funded facilities, such as rape crisis centers and domestic abuse shelters. She sees trans women as a constant threat. Her evangelical supporters shout “Amen!”
Never mind the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence both oppose the governor’s bill. Or that trans women face a heightened risk of violence.
Reynolds’ bill defines the terms woman, man, mother and father in such a way that it essentially punishes trans and nonbinary people for living outside what she considers “normal,” needlessly complicating their lives and the lives of their families. The governor is fond of declaring Iowans know “the difference between boys and girls,” but what about right and wrong?
Her original bill required transgender Iowans to also list their sex at birth on driver’s licenses and other government documents. Then it would be easy for the police, a bouncer at a bar or a grocery store cashier to know who is trans and who is not. What could go wrong? The bill also would alter current non-discriminatory policies and change the way the state collects data on public health.
On Tuesday the full House Education Committee pulled the driver’s license requirement. Does that mean the idea is dead? Nothing is dead until final adjournment.
But the full committee approved the rest of the bill’s lousy provisions.
Unwritten in the bill is permission for Iowa to become a more ugly, hateful state.
“This bill protects us from irrational and radical behaviors that are harmful to society,” said Patty Alexander of Indianola, who backs the bill, during a Tuesday House Education Subcommittee meeting. “Please protect us from the immoral will of others.”
Another supporter, Courtney Collier, said “people choose to live in delusions and confusions in their own life at home, but the rest of us should not be forced to join them.”
Who, exactly, is forcing you to do anything?
They’re “bullies” and “a mob,” according to one of our Family Leaders. There were plenty mentions of “them.” You know them, the immoral, confused and delusional seeking to harm our society. They’re not just a very small, already marginalized group of Iowans simply seeking to live their lives without being attacked again and again.
You must hand it to Reynolds. She’s demonized and dehumanized trans Iowans at a blinding pace. Iowa law has prohibited discrimination based on gender identity since 2007. But, suddenly, 0.29% of Iowa’s population has become public enemy No. 1. Scaringt he voters is boilerplate GOP strategy, but with Reynolds, it goes deeper.
Trans rights have been methodically curtailed, culminating in Reynolds’ latest effort to make Iowa “separate but equal.” They’re being scapegoated for problems they don’t cause and threats they don’t pose. Reynolds is working overtime to become the George Wallace of trans segregation.
It’s chilling to watch our so-called leaders dust off a playbook used to great effect by dictators across the globe and homegrown racists. Too few Iowans seem to care much. Just ask yourself, “Who’s next?”
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
www.thegazette.com
Because with her latest bill, it’s become obvious the governor wants transgender Iowans to get out. Hit the road. Or, at least, disappear into the shadows. Your very existence offends her.
Transgender Iowans refuse to conform to the governor’s view of morality. They trespass against her version of Christianity. They mess up her idea of what Iowa should be, white, Christian and straight. Reynolds believes all of us must live under laws reflecting her preferences.
ADVERTISING
Otherwise, why would she champion legislation making it legal to provide “separate but equal” accommodations for trans Iowans in state run or funded facilities, such as rape crisis centers and domestic abuse shelters. She sees trans women as a constant threat. Her evangelical supporters shout “Amen!”
Never mind the Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence both oppose the governor’s bill. Or that trans women face a heightened risk of violence.
Reynolds’ bill defines the terms woman, man, mother and father in such a way that it essentially punishes trans and nonbinary people for living outside what she considers “normal,” needlessly complicating their lives and the lives of their families. The governor is fond of declaring Iowans know “the difference between boys and girls,” but what about right and wrong?
Her original bill required transgender Iowans to also list their sex at birth on driver’s licenses and other government documents. Then it would be easy for the police, a bouncer at a bar or a grocery store cashier to know who is trans and who is not. What could go wrong? The bill also would alter current non-discriminatory policies and change the way the state collects data on public health.
On Tuesday the full House Education Committee pulled the driver’s license requirement. Does that mean the idea is dead? Nothing is dead until final adjournment.
But the full committee approved the rest of the bill’s lousy provisions.
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Unwritten in the bill is permission for Iowa to become a more ugly, hateful state.
“This bill protects us from irrational and radical behaviors that are harmful to society,” said Patty Alexander of Indianola, who backs the bill, during a Tuesday House Education Subcommittee meeting. “Please protect us from the immoral will of others.”
Another supporter, Courtney Collier, said “people choose to live in delusions and confusions in their own life at home, but the rest of us should not be forced to join them.”
Who, exactly, is forcing you to do anything?
They’re “bullies” and “a mob,” according to one of our Family Leaders. There were plenty mentions of “them.” You know them, the immoral, confused and delusional seeking to harm our society. They’re not just a very small, already marginalized group of Iowans simply seeking to live their lives without being attacked again and again.
You must hand it to Reynolds. She’s demonized and dehumanized trans Iowans at a blinding pace. Iowa law has prohibited discrimination based on gender identity since 2007. But, suddenly, 0.29% of Iowa’s population has become public enemy No. 1. Scaringt he voters is boilerplate GOP strategy, but with Reynolds, it goes deeper.
Trans rights have been methodically curtailed, culminating in Reynolds’ latest effort to make Iowa “separate but equal.” They’re being scapegoated for problems they don’t cause and threats they don’t pose. Reynolds is working overtime to become the George Wallace of trans segregation.
It’s chilling to watch our so-called leaders dust off a playbook used to great effect by dictators across the globe and homegrown racists. Too few Iowans seem to care much. Just ask yourself, “Who’s next?”
(319) 398-8262; todd.dorman@thegazette.com
Opinion: Reynolds’ bill creates an uglier more hateful Iowa
LGBTQ+ rights supporters rally in the hallway outside an Iowa House Judiciary subcommittee hearing, Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, at the …
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