Iowa’s obedience is not an act of faith, it is a reaction steeped in fear

Jordan Selha remembers vividly the call from his health care provider this past winter. “I had an anxiety attack. My chest and throat closed tight, my breathing became restricted and I fell to the floor. I was literally in shock.” Selha’s family had already been affected by Iowa legislation criminalizing gender-affirming care for Iowans under 18.

” My niece had been harmed by this legislation and a colleague had to move with her daughter out of state. But now they were coming for adults.”

Iowa companies, organizations, and people are “proactively” complying with unjust policies and laws, some of which are not even legal — yet. The actions of universities, employers, city governments, health care providers and schools to name a few are not proactive — they are overreactive. And this is a positive feedback cycle that is contributing to Iowa becoming a leader in rescinding civil rights.

This is not a leaderboard we want to be at the top of.

“There are pockets of safety, neighborhoods, businesses, people. Iowa is not safe for us-it never has been fully. But now that our civil rights have been stripped and millions of dollars were poured into media advertising to demonize us, we can’t turn on a television, go online, or even stand in line at the gas station without being exposed to hate speech that targets us for who we are,” Selha said.

We have seen a variety of actors pulling books from shelves, canceling anything that might be interpreted as DEI, and ceasing provision of health care. This is not only harming people and making Iowa less attractive to live and work in. These embarrassing examples of anticipatory compliance are damaging our democracy.

Selha has personally seen years of work wiped away in the past couple of years, “I spent most of my adult life working for LGBTQ+ rights, advocating for people living with HIV, dismantling racism. The office I helped establish at Iowa State University to support LGBTQ+ students is now gone. Illegal. The funding and grants I helped bring to this state to provide housing and services for people living with HIV is being threatened at the national level.”

While some things are now unfortunately illegal and impossible to continue, in many cases we need to wait for the courts to do their job. (Since this was written, United States vs Skrmetti has shown that the courts are becoming less reliable in protecting civil rights.) It is understandable that the recklessness and sheer quantity of executive orders has caused confusion and chaos, and left organizations speculating and at times, reacting in hopes of self-preservation. “I learned about the executive order and the letter sent out indicating no federal funds could be used for gender-affirming care.” Selha speaks of the deceivingly named Executive Order 14187 that prohibits GAC for minors. “I also learned that letter was rescinded.” It was rescinded because, quite simply, content of the executive order was illegal, even by our current federal governments standards.

Selha’s hormone treatment is medically necessary. “My body does not produce its own sex hormones. So I need prescribed testosterone to provide energy, muscle mass production/retention, bone strength, red blood cell development, and emotional regulation. This isn’t cosmetic or elective.” Like so many others whose rights have been assaulted this year, an elite few are inappropriately citing moral reasons to justify unprecedented governmental overreach.

Selha points to innovation in other states to circumvent urges of anticipatory compliance and find sustainable solutions. “I know of many organizations that are using their creativity to stand by their mission and do the work despite attempts to stop it. One example is a city in Montana that adopted the pride flag as their city flag so it can be flown despite it being deemed illegal in the state to fly the rainbow flag on municipal flagpoles. Several businesses are continuing their DEI efforts even though they are experiencing economic pressure to cease.” Notably, the city where Selha lives did not raise the Pride flag this month.

Reminders of our fragile and rapidly unraveling social fabric are everywhere. These reminders evoke fear in some, and outrage in many. We are mourning the loss of two leaders from Minnesota. Our friends and neighbors are disappearing from streets and workplaces; some having been shipped to one of the most inhumane prisons in the world. Thousands of federal workers have been harassed or fired, many enduring both in the same day. The trauma has been felt across races, ethnicities, and gender identities. The only unifying and predictable themes in these events have been hate and ignorance.

Many times people point to the need to live to fight another day. This is not the optimal way forward right now. Changing our essence and our mission will harm those we serve and will fundamentally change who we are and what we stand for. Once we start running, we won’t be able to stop. The question is — will we be running in fear from oppressors, or running from ourselves?

“There is a very short distance between a democracy and a dictatorship where the government gets to decide what to do, how to think, and how to live.” Selha quotes Armando Valladares to describe his concern. “Today I fear that if our health care system, our nonprofit sector, our colleges, universities, and libraries comply like this when they aren’t being held at gunpoint, what could happen with even a little bit of force.”

Protests are powerful, but we need to find ways to stand up for what is right in everyday life. We need to ensure that people feel they belong in the places they live, work, learn, play, and pray. When many of us have the privilege not to have our identity emphasized or attacked, others have not had that luxury. Profiling and defining based on color of skin, the expression of gender, and language that is spoken can make one feel exhausted, alienated, and fearful. To have traditionally safe spaces bend a knee to the stroke of a hateful and bigoted pen before the ink has even dried on the paper is the last straw for some.

History has its eyes on all of us.

Chris Espersen is a Gazette editorial fellow. chris.espersen@thegazette.com