Meeting Public Comments

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SF 335

A bill for an act prohibiting persons from entering single and multiple occupancy toilet facilities and other facilities in elementary and secondary schools that do not correspond with the person’s biological sex and including effective date provisions.(See SF 482.)

Agenda

Subcommittee members: Westrich-CH, Celsi, Cournoyer

Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Time: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM

Location: Room 315

Comments Submitted:

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The purpose of comments is to provide information to members of the subcommittee.

Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.

02-27-2023

Courtney Collier []

I support SF335. I ask you to pass this bill to protect our children while they are at school in the bathrooms and other facilities. This is common sense and proactive legislation that is sadly needed due to the bad decisions being made in school districts across our state and this nation. Do we need a tragedy like occurred recently in Virginia with sexual assault occurring in the bathrooms at school due to foolish policy? I think not. In Iowa we have school district policies recently created allowing persons to use the bathroom no matter their gender. This is both outrageous and dangerous. We must protect our children and if we choose not to, we are complicit in any harm that comes to them in the situation where you have the power to prevent it.

02-27-2023

Courtney Collier []

02-27-2023

Carin Birt []

Vote YES to SF 335. Please help protect our children in schools. I wish we could protect all but for now, we need to protect the many over the few. If students aren't comfortable using facilities that match their biological sex, I believe they should be given the option to use single stall facilities. It is not right to allow nonbiological identifying students to use the facilities that don't match their biological sex, sacrificing the security and well being of others.

02-27-2023

Anonymous Anonymous []

Vote YES on SF 335Our students need to be safe when using the bathroom or facilities at school. This is common sense and proactive legislation to prevent a tragedy from happening in Iowa like we have seen happen in Virginia at school with sexual assaults in the bathrooms or facilities.

02-27-2023

Oliver Bardwell [Iowans 4 Freedom ]

Please vote YES for this bill. As a father I wouldn't want a confused male in the bathroom or shower with my daughters or with any other Iowan's daughters. It's a violation of their rights and their privacy. It's sad that we have to legislate common sense. If it's a huge issue in a particular school, they should feel welcome to put in a unisex single use bathroom that anyone can use for privacy.

02-27-2023

Vanessa La Mar []

I strongly oppose transgender bathroom bans in schools. And you should too. These policies are discriminatory and harmful to transgender students, and they do nothing to improve the safety or wellbeing of anyone in the school community.Transgender students face significant challenges in their daily lives, including discrimination, harassment, and violence. Bathroom bans only serve to exacerbate these issues by denying transgender students access to the facilities that align with their gender identity. This can lead to increased anxiety, isolation, and a sense of being unwelcome in the school community. It is also important to note that bathroom bans are unnecessary from a practical standpoint. There is no evidence to suggest that allowing transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity leads to an increase in public safety issues. In fact, denying transgender students access to the appropriate bathroom can put them at risk of harassment, assault, and other forms of violence.

02-27-2023

Rachelle La Mar []

Please vote no. These bills are designed to ensure student safety, but they only stigmatize transgender students, putting them more in harms way. It literally puts an already vulnerable group in more danger.Research also shows that, as a result of hostile school climate, transgender students are more likely to abuse drugs than the general population. This places an oversized burden on schoolhealth and publichealth officials and would cause a public health crisis, when we are already struggling with healthcare as it is.State and school districts are now held accountable for high levels of academic attainment and high graduation rates. But the consequences of discrimination, like the discrimination these bills mandate, are real: LGBTQ students who experience discrimination report lower GPAs, higher likelihood of skipping or dropping out of school, higher rates of school discipline, and lower educational aspirations.Enforcing these bills would be prohibitively expensive and timeconsuming for schools and extraordinarily invasive toward transgender students. Teachers and administrators have enough to worry about without policing bathroom usage. This bill makes more work for everyone and hurts Iowans. Vote no.

02-27-2023

Dessie Sliekers []

Vote NO on this bill. It is absolutely absurd to villainize kids trying to use the restroom. As a mother of a trans daughter, it was awful to learn that throughout all of 8th and 9th grade, she never used the restroom at school because she didnt feel as though she could. Not only is that awful emotionally, to feel unwelcome to perform a basic human function, but its physically hard on her as well. See these kids for what they are, children at school just trying to get through the day as they are, who should feel safe using the restroom. Vote NO on this ridiculous bill.

02-27-2023

Nicole Scott []

Please vote no on this bill. I dont understand the need to legislate bathroom usage. The attacks on LGBTQ+ students need to stop. It is fear and hate based Lets make Iowa a state that is welcoming and nice, not mean and hateful.

02-27-2023

Elizabeth Lundberg []

I am very opposed to this bill. What scaremongers like to suggest could happen in bathrooms without these kinds of laws are things like assault and harassment, which are already illegal. This bill doesnt solve any actually existing problem. What it WOULD do is put children of all genders in actual danger by making random strangers feel entitled to question and examine them about their bodies. My 7yearold trans daughter already feels scared to use the bathroom at school. And you want to force her to use the boys bathroom? STOP hunting trans children for sport. Its cruel and heartless.

02-27-2023

Loree Horn []

I support SF 335. Please keep our children safe and respect their privacy. Young girls should not have to share bathroom facilities or changing rooms with biological boys. Just as young boys should not have to share these same spaces with biological girls. Allowing them to do this now is reckless and wrong.

02-27-2023

Brandy Cross []

I oppose this bill as it is unnecessary and serves only to be harmful and right of a small vulnerable population of our youth. Children being allowed to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identify does not affect the other children. They are using the bathroom....that's it! DO NOT CONTINUE TO SEND MESSAGES to these kids that they don't matter; or their rights are not as important as another child.

02-27-2023

Eleanor Glewwe []

I am strongly opposted to this bill. The proposed policy will only make already vulnerable students feel even less safe at school, where they should be able to focus on learning instead of having to fear harassment for simply being who they are.

02-27-2023

Anita Hoch []

I support the SF 335 bill and protecting our children while they are in school in bathrooms. locker rooms and other facilities. I believe we must enforce any individual using bathroom facilities needs to correspond with their biological sex. Our children need to be protected from pedophelia and possible incidents that my have our children sexually molested or sexual assault. We as adults must protect our young.it is our responsibility to protect and keep our children safe. Rape and sexual assault is happening in schools in Virginia where this has been allowed. As adults if this law isn't passed and our children can be permanently damaged and injured for the rest of their lives. Single and unisex bathrooms can be set up for other children to use. As they don't want us to force are beliefs or actions on them, we too have the right to protect our children from any harm. I am totally at awe that we have come to a time that we have to have laws that protect our childrenfrom this insanity. Please vote yes to protect our children.

02-27-2023

Andrea Geary []

To the heartless, morally bankrupt legislators who will pass these bills whilst knowing their actions will result in the death of our children: what is the payoff? Will a $15k ADF donation to your next campaign allow you to sleep at night? Does the promise of a someday cabinet appointment allow you to overlook the fact that youve darkened your familys name & that your ancestors will only speak of you in hushed tones thru grimaces of shame? No logical plea, established scientific fact, or sharing of personal experience will sway you. Each of you: a disgraceful stain upon our state.

02-27-2023

Kathy Mingus []

As the mother of three, I believe that the school is responsible for the safety of our children when they are at school. Allowing biological boys in the girls bathroom, gives the opportunity for sexually assault as proven in other cases in Americas schools. We are not protecting the majority of our students, but a minority. The bathrooms have always been boys/girls! I dont think its in the best interest of all the students to risk the safety of our children and allow opportunities for injury. Preventative measures should be taken to prevent assault, not encourage it.

02-27-2023

Jayne Machak []

A vote for this bill is a vote for wasted taxpayer resources. The Mount of time, money and effort to enforce these regulations will be wasted on children who defy the regulations in an attempt to prove what a ridiculous waste of resources is expended by the state of Iowa to bully children whose gender does not correspond to assigned sex at birth. If youre worried about Iowa school children, keep public dollars in public schools and raise teacher salaries so we stop graduating kids with As in calculus who cant even pass a basic algebra test. Think real and get serious. Stop wasting Iowans time and money on this nonsense and focus your attention to worthwhile matters.

02-27-2023

Candella Foley-Finchem [Mental Health Therapist]

if there is one trans or nonbinary child in your school, and that kid can't go to the bathroom, you've made their school, and their world less safe to exist. And then, as they are feeling less and less safe, many of these kids start to look for a way "out" of this unsafe situation, and suicide starts to look like the only way to be released. Or denying themself of being who they are. The sad reality, is that, by passing legislation like this you don't just make it less safe for trans kids, you make it less safe for all the kids who sometimes feel like they don't fit in. If one kid commits (or even comes really close to committing suicide) the rest of the kids in their grade are now at higher risk for suicide, depression, and other challenges that you don't want to put on your kids... I think it's horrible that you're willing to throw trans kids under the bus, and that you have no concern for their LIVES, but I haven't seen the argument that convinces transphobic people to be kind to trans people. so I give up trying to convince you that you should care about the heartbeats of real kids and look at the real mental health outcomes for those kids. What you don't seem to see, is that it's not just the trans kids who suffer by making the trans kids a target, you actually make mental health and education outcomes worse for all the kids every one who knows a trans kid, everyone who's seen a movie or read a story, or otherwise had empathy for the trans kids which is most of the kids... they all suffer at the loss of your target. Do better! VOTE NO and allow all kids to go to the bathroom in peace. Talk about "Freedom"? Freedom is being able to go pee in peace.

02-27-2023

Candella Foley-Finchem [Mental health therapist]

Freedom is being able to pee in peace. Vote NO on this bill and ensure that every kid can go pee in peace. And quit asking kids about what's in their pants. If she's a girl, let her go to the girls' room with out you needing to see if she's got a penis.If he's a boy let him go the boy's room without asking him about a penis. All the focus on whether or not a kid has a penis is really gross. Kids know their gender. Believe them and give them the freedom to pee in peace.

02-28-2023

Jill Bjorklund []

As a mother to a trans daughter in the second grade who has been living her life not bothering anyone for the last few years, I am begging you not to pass this bill. She has only known a safe school with supportive teachers and peers. Banning her from using the bathroom she has been using for years, is just one more needless attack on her oncesafe school. There are no private schools around us that would accept her so there goes our socalled school choice. When do parents like me get to claim those "parent rights"? She has NEVER hurt anyone, let alone in a bathroom. Quit dehumanizing and demonizing innocent children. They are looking to you to protect them not criminalize and erase them.

02-28-2023

Brenda Brandenburg []

This is common sense and proactive legislation to prevent a tragedy from happening in Iowa like we have seen happen in Virginia at school with sexual assaults in the bathrooms or facilities. As a Mother of 2 young daughters the safety of my children is very important to me in a world that is growing in number of dangers and distractions they face on a daily basis. I want to see simple change that protects them and passes the common sense factor. Vote YES TO SF335

02-28-2023

Kathranne Knight []

"School toilets have been identified by LGBTQ students as the least safe spaces within schools. A 2017 survey about the school experiences of 23,001 LGBTQ students in the United States found that almost 43% of students avoided toilets at school due to safety concerns or feelings of discomfort. Transgender and gendernonbinary teens face greater risk of sexual assault in schools that prevent them from using bathrooms or locker rooms consistent with their gender identity, according to a recent study.Researchers looked at data from a survey of nearly 3,700 U.S. teens aged 1317. The study found that 36% of transgender or gendernonbinary students with restricted bathroom or locker room access reported being sexually assaulted in the last 12 months, according to a May 6, 2019 CNN article. Of all students surveyed, 1 out of every 4, or 25.9%, reported being a victim of sexual assault in the past year. (Above comments taken from an article from the Harvard School of Health and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.)Most likely, those in support of this bill don't know a trans child personally or know the data on the benefits of gender neutral bathrooms on all of society. This bill ignores research and real data in favor of discrimination. We are all afforded equal protection under the law and this bill violates the rights of transgender students.Vote No.

02-28-2023

Rebecca Shattuck []

I'm a teacher. At my school, we're currently missing 2 math interventionists, 1 reading interventionist, 1 behavior strategist, 1 technology teacher, 1 global studies teacher, and 1 math teacher. We're horribly shortstaffed. Teachers lose their planning periods every day to cover these classrooms that have no teacher. Yet, somehow, the government expects these remaining teachers who are stretched thin to also monitor the bathrooms to humiliate trans students? How about you fully fund and staff our schools before you go passing yet another law we don't have the staffing to enforce.

02-28-2023

Hannah Libke []

These laws are so much bigger than what restroom do I identify with...God created the physical and the spiritual parts of us. The physical doesn't line up with the internal sometimes, & that psychologically is a heavy issue for those individuals. I pray that whether a man or woman enters any public space, that there is no physical abuse that takes place, especially if that "woman" that just walked in, is a man!These are my thoughts...neither for or against. It comes down to who did God make you spiritually? If you feel you were born with the wrong physical attributes...then that is an even bigger conversation. & Biologically you are able to use a toilet either standing or sitting. When you enter a door that states Woman or Male

02-28-2023

Cindy jo Benes []

Victims of such a personal (probable) crime without such bill protection know the devastating effect it can have on a young person and their future as well as rippling out and hurting many others in society. Prevention is definitely the preferred approach. This is a basic safety need and foundational necessity for learning. Arent there other, better solutions as well? Surely, some of our tax dollars could go to helping our children feel safe going to the bathroom while also providing a toiletry for those suffering gender confusion. Surely, the school could find a couple closet sized spaces to renovate and resolve this contention. Staffing is most likely so short because all these types of issues are sending good teachers elsewhere. Teachers need the time to teach agreed! It is not enough for a parent to commiserate with friends anymore and just let others deal with it. We all have a responsibility to try to help our children succeed and not set them up for failure or worse. Now is the time for all good parents to act by passing this legislation. Protect our children.

02-28-2023

Jennifer Oredson []

Please vote NO on SF 335. I am the mother of a trans daughter whose mental health suffers every day from society's nonacceptance of her as a whole person. Earlier this year, the genderneutral bathroom at her school became unavailable, and she never told me about it until she had already spent weeks training herself to not drink any water so that she wouldn't have to go to the bathroom during the whole school day. She had thought that it wouldn't be OK for her to use the women's restroom, and she couldn't imagine using the men's room, so she punished herself this way. I was able to help her understand that she had every right to use the women's restroom, and this has been a great relief to her. The mere fact that all of these antitrans bills have been introduced in Iowa this year has been very destructive to her mental health. It's very painful for her to know that her state government does not want her to exist and is taking every measure it can to snuff her out. Just please leave us alone and let us go about our lives we are not hurting anyone. Please vote no on this bill.

02-28-2023

Jackie Cordon []

This bill is ridiculous. Its hate against trans kids designed as we have to protect the girls against boys who will pretend just to get in the girls bathroom. Boys arent going to commit to a longterm con that goes against their egos just for a tiny reward. But forcing a trans girl to use a boys bathroom will endanger her in many ways. And what about kids who were misgendered at birth?

02-28-2023

MELISSA MCALLISTER []

Vote NO on SF335. Transgender youth just want to use the restroom, like every other human. As the mom of a transgender teenage daughter, it was so, so worrying to know that my child literally Never used the restroom while at schoolfor the entirety of ninth gradebecause she did not feel safe. There are both negative physical health/medical implications to restricting restroom access, as well as negative mental health implications. Transgender children just want to get through the school day like any other kidand they have the right to feel safe when using the restroom. Prioritize the safety of queer children over the discomfort of uninformed adults. Vote NO on SF335.

02-28-2023

David Michael []

Please vote no on this bill. This bill goes too far in restricting the rights of students and does not benefit them in any way. There is no danger in allowing any person to use a single occupancy restroom regardless of their gender. Also, this bill casts Iowa in a bad light nationally and will hurt our economic outlook in the future.

02-28-2023

Jocelyn Krueger []

Do not support SF 353. As a transgender Iowan and a parent of a schoolage child, I attend events and visit my child's school. Most events do not take place at times or locations where it is possible to use restrooms outside of multiuse facilities according to one's gender identity. I would love for the school to have only single occupancy genderneutral restroom and changing facilities, but unless the state can provide money to upgrade all our schools that's going to happen. Punishing trans people and schools for the lack of acceptance by the state is wrong and discriminatory and it ignores the lived experiences of trans women, trans men, and nonbinary people.

02-28-2023

Vanessa Renaud []

Trans kids deserve to be treated like all kids should be treated, with respect, dignity, and kindness. Stop trying to erase their existence. Telling kids to use a bathroom that doesn't align with their identity causes them to feel anxiety, unneeded fear, and is harmful to their mental health. Please respect body autonomy and healthcare decisions between parents and physicians created to protect trans kids. Please vote no on this bill. Protect transgender kids.

02-28-2023

Kristen Erickson []

Why is the legislature wasting time with a bill like this? As an Iowan I know there are many issues that are much more important than this. Even within the purview of education there are issues much more important than this. Teachers and school administrators are still trying to recover from pandemic learning losses, students healing from the traumas of the last few years, and a troubling trend of school violence. It's ridiculous to think that we should also now task schools with doing the legislature's dirty work of making transgender children feel unvalued, persecuted, and endangered. It's a waste of time and energy on the part of the legislature, with the sole goal of harming children who are already at risk for suicide. Please don't force teachers and schools to make things even worse for them.

02-28-2023

Dana Oredson []

Do lawmakers have nothing of real importance on their minds? This harmful and bigoted bill puts undue stress on children in their formative years and feeds hate and bullying of vulnerable atrisk children.

02-28-2023

Lora Oredson []

Never mind how utterly hateful and offensive this bill is, it's also counterproductive. The fact we're focusing on bills about LGBTQ+ people instead of fighting for their rights as people is crazy. The issue you're proposing about trans people committing sexual assault is a red herring and has never existed before. This is just an excuse to spread ideas that are strictly unethical.

02-28-2023

Megan Jones []

As a parent of a LGBTQ child, I strongly oppose this bill. I have seen the direct positive and negative impact when trans people are not able to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender. Please do not allow such a damaging bill to move forward.

02-28-2023

Keegan McAllister []

Party of small government and freedom wants to inspect your child's genitals to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Scapegoating vulnerable children to distract from the corporate looting of America. Vote no and let kids pee in peace.

02-28-2023

Sean McRoberts []

I oppose this bill and the several others that target trans people, especially children, in our state. As you take up these legislative proposals, it is essential that you recognize the impact that our state policies have on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people, and especially children and youth. This bill has life or death implications for LGBTQ youth."Compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers, LGBTQ+ youth are at increased risk for having suiciderelated thoughts and behaviors. Identityspecific stressors such as homonegativity and antiqueerness are among the unique factors posited to contribute to this risk and inhibit factors that protect against suicide...Beyond their role as a primary access point for behavioral health services, schools offer a unique opportunity to support suicide prevention by combating minority stressors through promoting positive social relationships and a safe community for LGBTQ+ students." (The roles of school in supporting LGBTQ+ youth: A systematic review and ecological framework for understanding risk for suiciderelated thoughts and behaviorsMarisa E Marraccini, Katherine M Ingram, Shereen C Naser, Sally L Grapin, Emily N Toole, J Conor O'Neill, Andrew J Chin, Robert R Martinez Jr, Dana Griffinhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35190078/)

02-28-2023

Laura Carlson [parent ]

Please vote yes on this bill. Public schools offer a private bathroom for a student exploring gender issues. Many times the teachers forfeit the "teacher" bathroom for this student's needs. Sexual assaults at schools most often occur in the bathrooms. Inviting men and women into the same small room gives opportunity for the crime. I'm not accusing those labeling themselves as transgender of these crimes. I am stating this set up of mixing sexes in small spaces offers perfect crime opportunity. Examples of assaults in bathrooms at schools abound across the nation in schools that implement unisex bathrooms and dressing facilities. Thank you.

02-28-2023

Lisa Petrie []

I am OPPOSED to SF 335. There is no evidence whatsoever that a problem exists with regard to bathroom usage. None. The only thing this bill does is further traumatize our most vulnerable trans kids. Stop bullying them. Please vote NO on this bill.

02-28-2023

Rachel Scheib []

As a parent, I would like to know that when my daughter enters a bathroom, she will have no fear or apprehension of whether or not a biological male is in the bathroom (or locker room) with her. One person's rights should not infringe on another's and in this case, if males are allowed to enter the bathrooms with girls, it infringes on the rights to privacy of the biological females and their right to feeling safe and secure in what is supposed to a private place to change and use the restroom, especially at critical times in their development. Please consider passing this bill for the safety, security and peace of mind of our young girls.

02-28-2023

Anonymous Anonymous []

This is a common sense bill that must be passed. If this is not, who's to stop a boy from entering a girl's bathroom any given day becuase they happen to identify as a girl that day? Protect all kids to their right to privacy. It's ridiculous that this even needs to be discussed. LET COMMON SENSE PREVAIL!

02-28-2023

Betsy Fickel []

Good grief. It's truly pathetic that a bill of this nature, or the others, is even necessary. Our society is quickly degenerating into the abnormal being termed normal (as the Bible predicted). Evil continues to grow. This bill should pass without objection, but sadly there will be those that argue against common sense, deceny, child safety. I want my grandkids, great grands, and all other kids to be able to feel safe going to the restroom. Absolutely a YES, DO pass this bill.

02-28-2023

Sophie Steffensmeier []

Vote NO. Trans and gender nonconforming students are not some monsters or predators. They're kids. Just kids trying to live their lives. Stop trying to turn literal children just trying to use the restroom in peace into some kind of boogeyman. All they want to do is go when they need to, and go back to class. That's it. The fact that you people immediately conflate trans people with sexual predators is very telling that you've never actually met or talked to a trans person. Spoilers, they're just people. Plain and simple. Stop your othering and bullying of your fellow human beings. Life is too short to be wasting time on this. Vote NO.

02-28-2023

Julie Scott []

I am in support of this bill that will protect children (and adults) from the fear of having an opposite sex person in a public or school bathroom with them. Children who fear this will avoid using/going to the bathroom, which is not healthy for them. In addition girls are put in danger of having a biological boy in their restroom try to sexually attack (rape) them. This is common sense. If you have a penis you use a boy/male bathroom and if you have a vagina you use the girls/female bathroom. Please vote to pass this bill through.

02-28-2023

Ruth Book []

Support this bill, keep our children safe! We all deserve a space for privacy! This should include locker rooms at schools as well. How sad that we even have to vote on this in order to protect privacy. VOTE YES on SF 335

02-28-2023

Sue Atwater []

I oppose this bill. All students should have access to single occupancy toilets at the very least for whatever reason. Many students do not want to use multiple occupancy toilet facilities for a variety of reason. Who will be checking on the students' biological sex? That is not the job of a school or the government. That is just down right creepy. You have legislation to cut funding for administrative cost, but continue to pass legislation that will take administration away from teaching and learning. Instead they will be tasked with being bathroom police, book evaluators and whatever else you want to legislate that is not a problem. Please think about the unintended consequences of your action with this bill.

02-28-2023

Nat Hall []

This is just a gross, discriminatory bill. Why is the legislature so obsessed with children's private parts and where they go to the bathroom? Rightwing fearmongering at its most pathetic. Do not support this bill. Do not spend a second thinking about supporting it. Move on and do something positive for Iowans. ALL OF THEM!!

02-28-2023

Linda Reichle Heinzel []

Please vote no. This bill facilitates a dangerous situation for marginalized individuals. It also counters the conservative ideal of small government by overreaching the role of government in a free society.

02-28-2023

Nat Hall []

I see a lot of comments on here about how this bill is meant to "protect our children in schools." If you really want to protect children in schools then implement policies that prioritize mental health, or regulate GUNS not BATHROOMS. This is just disturbing, completely backwards thinking.

02-28-2023

Andrew Fleming [Father]

please vote NO against this hurtful, hateful. ignorant legislation. my son has every right to exist. to use the restroom he is most comfortable with and it should be of no business to anyone else. STOP trying to legislate transgenderism away. You can't. You can only create more divide and hatred and fear.

02-28-2023

Lynn McCallum []

This bill is just one more narrowminded, hatefilled piece of garbage legislation . These kids need acceptance and understanding and protection not exclusion!Iowa is quickly becoming a mean and hateful State. We do not need laws like this.

02-28-2023

Jessica Horaney []

Please do not proceed with this bill. Bills like this are based on the idea that kids will be uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with kids of the opposite gender at birth. In reality, a trans boy or a trans girl is seen as "just another boy or girl". In 5th grade, my daughter attended school with a trans girl. When I asked if she used the girls restroom, she said "of course". I asked if it made her uncomfortable, and very confused why I was asking this question, my daughter said "no?". Singling out these kids will be extremely harmful and damaging for trans kids, and will force these kids to be "outed" when they just want to be seen by their gender identity.

02-28-2023

Nathan Morton []

This proposed legislation is paranoid and obsessed with excluding a small minority of students. People had the same sort of freak outs about gays and lesbians using bathrooms and lockerrooms. It is based on paranoia and the idea that trans people are completely changing their identities and subjecting themselves to a lot of abuse for a chance to peek at someone in the bathroom. That is absurd. Any abuse or harrassment that might happen in a school bathroom (by anyone of any gender toward anyone else) is already subject to rules and/or laws about harassment, abuse, and assault. How many parents want some unspecified school official checking their children's genitals to confirm or deny them access to a school restroom?

02-28-2023

Sam Card []

This bill is disgusting and threatens the safety of many people I care about. If this bill is passed I envision I and many others will leave the state in waves resulting in the biggest worker shortage Iowa has yet seen.

02-28-2023

Laney Guintard []

I am a resident of Des Moines and I oppose this bill because it is a transparent bullying tactic against the Transitioning youth of Iowa. It is unacceptable to deny the rights of Trans children to feel safe in their schools, especially when trans youth are at risk of being unhoused and may potentially have unsafe home situations.

03-01-2023

Shalome Musignac Jordan []

Vote no to this bill. Protect kids. We say mental health is important and do not reflect that in this law. Kids need support, confidence, to be believed, valued and seen. This bill targets trans kids when they should be safe and supported in their school and community. Trans children and adults belong here.

03-01-2023

Siri Felker []

This bill is extremely harmful to children. It is just simple science that our ideas of simply sorting children as "boys" and "girls" are outdated, and many children do not identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth. Failing to recognize children's identities as THEY see them is just cruel it is the worst form of bullying to refuse to even recognize someone's identity as legitimate. I BEG that you all to remember that all children ARE children, and that evidence suggests that daily anxieties over bathroom use remain a primary concern for transgender and nonconforming populations leading to increased rates of health issues such as urinary tract infections, as well as mental health concerns tied to sustained discrimination and harassment. Children deserve the opportunity to take care of their basic needs like using the restroom, free of fear and harm to their mental health.

03-02-2023

Lisa Levendusky []

This bill does nothing but demonize our youth, putting a target on their back. A person's sexuality is none of your business. Stop with the hate. Not only are you damaging our most vulnerable youth, you are forcing young people to leave Iowa, and making the entire state undesirable. Who wants to live in a hate filled state??