Iowa: State of Hate

My birth state makes history in the worst way

You should watch this incredible speech here by transgender Representative Aime Wichtendahl (thanks to Zinnia Jones for doing the work to post it).

The bill she was speaking against was introduced to committee on Monday, February 24th. By the end of the week, it was signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. The law, which takes effect on July 1st, 2025, now allows discrimination against transgender people in housing, employment, and credit. It completely bans changing the sex marker on birth certificates in Iowa.

Did you watch it? Ok, good.

This bill makes Iowa the first state in our nation to *ever* remove civil rights protections from any group. This is hate made into law. It is shameful. It is evil.

But perhaps worse... I suspect the vast majority of Americans don't know it happened. The apathy is crushing. Every time a state legalized gay marriage, it was national news. But it seems that taking civil rights protections away isn't newsworthy.

This is what I mean when I say we *must* reframe the conversation this way: anti-LGBTQ+ views are immoral. They are hurtful. They are deadly. LGBTQ+ acceptance is simply what you get when you don’t do that harm. We don’t praise those who don’t murder. We don’t honor those who don’t steal. But we should speak loudly against those who murder, steal, and pass anti-LGBTQ+ laws.

They are, in fact, unamerican. The land of the free? I can imagine few deeper affronts to that freedom than trying to control some of the most intimate aspects of people’s lives. The home of the brave? Most anti-trans folx are so cowardly they won’t dare to listen to an actual trans person, and certainly don’t seek us out. They run away and believe all the vile things Rep. Wichtendahl recounted, and more.

From our Declaration of Independance, I was told that I, like all people, have an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

As a trans person, my liberty is under assault by the country that told me I have a right to it. My pursuit of happiness is being hindered by the daily slander and attacks on me and my community. Lives are being lost regularly in the trans community, as members face stress upon stress upon stress - a rogue wave of oppression, with too little support to stay afloat. More will be lost as trans members end up unhoused, unemployed, and without health care due to poverty.

Today, I am ashamed to say I was born in Iowa. This law will be challenged in court, and hopefully struck down as the unconstitutional discrimination it is. But the hate is still real. Elected representatives took five days out of their schedule to expose a hugely vulnerable community to even more danger. Not to focus on inflation, housing prices, health care, education, or other important things. Just to say, “Sure, you can fire or evict that person for being trans.”

Make no mistake - their attempts to erase trans people from the world will fail. As Abigail Thorn said in her recent video:

For centuries, they've called [trans people] weird or mad or perverts. That was the dominant morality. I mean, look at what they're doing now! They're trying to use the entire force of the United States government to stop us and they still can't do it!

They can call me what they want.

They’ll just be wrong.

To my non-trans friends - now is the time to stand up and support the trans community, whether you have a trans friend or not.

To my trans friends - big hugs to all of you. I’m with you, I’m here, and I’ll keep fighting with you and for you.

-Celeste