LGBTQ Iowans rally again at Capitol, lament ongoing bouts with Republican bills

DES MOINES — Courtney Reyes, speaking to dozens of LGBTQ Iowans and advocates gathered at the Iowa Capitol on Monday, called this year’s legislative session a “roller coaster” and lamented what she described as a need to keep coming to the Capitol to defend LGBTQ Iowans’ rights.

Reyes, executive director of the LGBTQ advocacy group One Iowa, kicked off a rally Monday at the Iowa Capitol during a day of LGBTQ advocacy.

“This has been just a roller coaster of a session,” Reyes said, pointing to last week when one legislative proposal to change the way transgender Iowans are protected under the state’s Civil Rights Act failed to advance, and on the next day Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced new legislation that would define “man” and “woman” in state law and require transgender Iowans to note both their pre- and post-transition genders on their driver’s license.

“After that huge win (with the failure of the proposed Civil Rights Act changes), another piece of harmful legislation was introduced by the governor of our state,” Reyes said. “We call it the trans erasure bill. It’s harmful and just pure evil.”

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When she introduced her proposal last week, Reynolds called the legislation “common sense,” and said it protects women’s spaces and rights. She compared it to a state law passed in 2022 that prohibits transgender girls and women from competing in girls and women’s athletics.

“The bill allows the law to recognize biological differences while forbidding unfair discrimination,” Reynolds said last week in a statement.

Multiple Democratic state lawmakers also spoke at the rally.

Proposal would bar discipline of teachers who refuse to use students’ preferred pronouns

Just prior to Monday’s rally, a legislative hearing was held Monday morning on a proposal to prohibit schools from disciplining any teachers who refuse to use a student’s preferred pronouns. The proposal, House File 2139, advanced on the support of the two Republicans on the subcommittee panel, Reps. Henry Stone, of Forest City, and Bill Gustoff, of Des Moines.

Supporters of the legislation, including the Christian conservative advocacy group The Family Leader and two mothers, said the proposal is needed to protect educators’ freedom of speech and religion. One of the mothers said she teachers her children that there are only two genders, each has its own pronoun and that teachers using a student’s preferred pronouns is indoctrination.

Seven students or parents of transgender children spoke in fierce opposition to the proposal. Many of them pointed out that last year statehouse Republicans passed legislation that requires parents to notify educators about their approval of their child using a different name or pronoun, and are now proposing legislation that would allow teachers to ignore that.

“What about protecting my parents’ rights,” Barry Stevens, a 13-year-old student who uses they and them pronouns, asked during the public comment portion of the hearing on the proposal. “They filled out (the notification), now you’re saying that doesn’t matter, teachers can now just choose to ignore that.

“If teachers can’t handle basic dignity for all, then they have no business teaching in public schools. Say ‘no’ to this bill and go pick on someone your own size,” Stevens said.

By advancing out of subcommittee, House File 2139 now is eligible for consideration by the full House Education Committee.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com