On Thursday afternoon, state Rep. Aime Wichtendahl rose on the floor of the Iowa House to speak against legislation removing gender identity from the Iowa Civil Rights Act and erasing all mention of trans identity from Iowa law.
Democrats fighting the bill gave Wichtendahl the last word. That’s appropriate, given Wichtendahl, a Democrat from Hiawatha, is the first transgender Iowan to serve in the Legislature. Her remarks were poignant, painful and eloquent.
“I must confess, it pains me to be here today,” Wichtendahl said. “It pains me to see how the rights of an entire group of people can be so quickly and easily discarded. It pains me to hear the slander, the stereotypes and the fear leveled at the trans community, my community, my friends and my family, my people. People who just want to live their lives to be themselves and to live free of fear.”
“Draw the line in the sand and say that civil rights are in Iowa are enshrined and protected, and let us get back to the people's business. Let us work to make Iowa the place where people move to instead of flee from, and a place in Iowa where all of our dreams come true, a place where we live our highest values, our liberties, we prize and our rights we will maintain,” Wichtendahl said.
With that, her Democratic colleagues and people assembled in the galleries rose to give Wichtendahl a standing ovation. No one cared they were breaking House rules of decorum.
But her plea fell on deaf ears. Some Republicans did vote no, but not enough. The bill passed the House and Senate and Gov. Kim Reynolds will sign it. Iowa will become the first state to rescind protection from a protected class. It’s a dark moment in our history.
Wichtendahl fought until the end. Her words will endure. She and her people deserved far better from a state they call home.
www.thegazette.com
Democrats fighting the bill gave Wichtendahl the last word. That’s appropriate, given Wichtendahl, a Democrat from Hiawatha, is the first transgender Iowan to serve in the Legislature. Her remarks were poignant, painful and eloquent.
“I must confess, it pains me to be here today,” Wichtendahl said. “It pains me to see how the rights of an entire group of people can be so quickly and easily discarded. It pains me to hear the slander, the stereotypes and the fear leveled at the trans community, my community, my friends and my family, my people. People who just want to live their lives to be themselves and to live free of fear.”
“Draw the line in the sand and say that civil rights are in Iowa are enshrined and protected, and let us get back to the people's business. Let us work to make Iowa the place where people move to instead of flee from, and a place in Iowa where all of our dreams come true, a place where we live our highest values, our liberties, we prize and our rights we will maintain,” Wichtendahl said.
With that, her Democratic colleagues and people assembled in the galleries rose to give Wichtendahl a standing ovation. No one cared they were breaking House rules of decorum.
But her plea fell on deaf ears. Some Republicans did vote no, but not enough. The bill passed the House and Senate and Gov. Kim Reynolds will sign it. Iowa will become the first state to rescind protection from a protected class. It’s a dark moment in our history.
Wichtendahl fought until the end. Her words will endure. She and her people deserved far better from a state they call home.
Opinion: Wichtendahl’s eloquent plea falls on deaf ears
Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, reacts to the gallery after speaking during debate on the gender identity bill, Thursday, Feb. 27, …
www.thegazette.com
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