Political Ideology, Transgender Rights Clash In IA

Des Moines IA

02 February, 2021

3:25 AM

Description

By Mike Moen, Public News Service February 2, 2021 DES MOINES, Iowa -- The current legislative session in Iowa has seen the return of debate over LGBTQ rights, while conservative lawmakers seek protections for political ideology. Among bills introduced this year is a measure that would block gender-affirming care for transgender youths. That comes on the heels of a legislative effort last year to remove civil-rights protections for transgender Iowans. Keenan Crow, director of policy and advocacy for the group One Iowa Action, said a lot of the bills they have seen seem to target youths within the transgender community, which they said creates emotional pain, even if the effort falls short. "LGBTQ youth reaching out saying that they're distressed, that they're in crisis," Crow explained. "These bills aren't just political tools; they have real-world impacts on real people." For the gender-affirming bill, it contains language saying children will "outgrow" transgender beliefs and realign them with their birth identity. Meanwhile, some conservative lawmakers have introduced another bill surrounding civil-rights protections, this time saying political ideology should be a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. They say they're being targeted by a culture that wants to limit their viewpoints, especially through social media. But Crow argued the state's civil-rights laws shouldn't be the arena for this debate. And they said while lawmakers who support these bills might have strong feelings about religious and personal freedoms, Crow feels it's more of an effort to cater to their base after being re-elected. "These are essentially vehicles to keep promises, or to advance ideological talking points," Crow contended. They said lawmakers need to look at public polling on LGBTQ issues. In 2019, a national survey from the Public Religion Research Institute found nearly 70% of respondents, including 68 % of Iowans, supported nondiscrimination protections for these individuals. However, the U.S. result is slightly lower than it was five years ago. This story was originally published by Public News Service. For more information, visit publicnewsservice.org.