Reynolds Signs Anti-LGBTQ Bills After Saying She Doesn’t ‘Like’ Doing It

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Wednesday signed bills restricting the rights and freedoms of transgender children, just one day after she told Iowa reporters that her “heart goes” out to the kids who will be negatively affected by the bills.

One bill prevents trans students from using the school restrooms or locker rooms of the gender they identify with, while another bans trans youth from receiving gender-affirming care.

“I’m a parent. I’m a grandmother. I know how difficult this is,” Reynolds told KCCI on Tuesday “This is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in. You know, I don’t like it, but I have to do what I believe is right now is in the best interest of the kids.”

Besides the restroom/locker room restriction, the “bathroom bill” prevents schools from enacting their own policies to accommodate trans or non-binary students and allows any Iowan to file a complaint with the Iowa Attorney General’s Office for any suspected violation of this bill.

[inline-ad id=0]

SF 538, the gender-affirming care ban, bans puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy, “if the practice is performed for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of, or affirm the minor’s perception of, the minor’s gender or sex, if that appearance or perception is inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”

Gender-affirming care is an all-encompassing term used to describe a range of treatments to help transgender individuals deal with body dysphoria, including social interventions and hormone-related treatments that affirm a child’s gender identity. 

Most major American Medical Associations support gender-affirming care. Furthermore, research shows that such treatment improves the mental health of transgender youth and saves lives.

Minors are not allowed to undergo gender-affirming care without parental involvement and consent, and the process does not include “bottom surgery,” and only rare includes “top surgery.” 

[inline-ad id=”1″]

During the legislative session, LGBTQ advocates, LGBTQ kids and their families have held rallies across the state and talked to legislators about the harm the legislation will cause.

The governor tipped her hand about what some of her focus would be this legislative session.  In her final campaign ad, Reynolds’ spent $900,000 for a commercial to take a dig at transgender people. 

Reynolds, an outspoken supporter of “parental rights,” told Iowa reporters on Tuesday she is doing what she believes is in “the best interest of the kids,” even if it means taking the decision out of parents’ hands and overruling them. 

“My heart breaks,” Reynolds told the Des Moines Register. “I’ve sat down and met with [the kids]. It’s not easy. It’s not easy for me either. It’s not easy for our elected officials to make these decisions. So I just, I hope they know that.”

by Ty Rushing
03/22/23

[inline-ad id=”0″]

If you enjoy stories like these, make sure to sign up for Iowa Starting Line’s main newsletter and/or our working class-focused Worker’s Almanac newsletter.

To contact Senior Editor Ty Rushing for tips or story ideas, email him at [email protected] or find him on social media @Rushthewriter.

​​Iowa Starting Line is part of an independent news network and focuses on how state and national decisions impact Iowans’ daily lives. We rely on your financial support to keep our stories free for all to read. You can contribute to us here. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.