Meeting Public Comments

Subcommittee meeting and times are as follows:

A bill for an act relating to prohibited activities regarding gender transition procedures relative to minors, and including effective date and applicability provisions.(See HF 623.)

Subcommittee members: Holt-CH, Wheeler, Wilburn

Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Time: 3:30 PM - 4:15 PM

Location: RM 19

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

Comments Submitted:

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02-27-2023

Mandy Gilbert []

Please support the passage of this bill. Perhaps one of several important pieces of legislation to protect children. Protecting children from permanent psychological & reproductive damage from experts whose livelihood depends on a lifetime dependency under their care. Shameful & child abuse.

02-27-2023

Anonymous Anonymous []

Vote YES on HSB 214 Research shows us that the prefrontal cortex does not fully develope until after age 25, we must therefore lovingly protect our minors from making permanent and life altering medical decisions during the time in which they are discovering who they are as they become adults.We must also protect minor children from being encouraged to participate in life altering medical procedures and medical products, by doctors or medical professionals who seek to profit from their impressionability and vulnerability. There is big money in these treatments and surgeries. As this cultural phenomenon of youth who identify as trans continues to unfold, more people are coming forward to discuss their detransition as well as the ways they have been misled and even coerced into these devastating life altering medications and surgeries by medical professionals. We must wisely protect minor Iowans from this.

02-27-2023

Priya Larson []

Vote no on this bill. I am a psychiatrist and have many transgender or gender nonconforming young patients. Some of these children benefit from gender affirming treatments from other specialists. These medications are well established in the literature for safe and effective treatment of gender dysphoria. We need to have these treatment options available to discuss them, over time, with the patient, their legal guardians, and other specialists. This is always done with an extensive evaluation process. By default, parents (or guardians) are always highly involved in this process. Gender affirming care has been shown to decrease gender dysphoria and also decrease depression in young people and adults. This has been shown over and over in studies of transgender people. For these reasons, the standards of care published by many medical professional societies includes provision of these medical treatments when needed. My patients and their parents deserve to have that type of gender affirming care as an option. While some transgender youth might make a social transition without taking medications, others do need to decide with their doctors if medical treatments are right for them.

02-27-2023

Vanessa La Mar []

02-27-2023

Erin Brewer []

Dear Committee Members,I am a former trans kid.As a child I was insistent, persistent, and consistent that I was a boy.I have no doubt that if the option to take pubertyblockers and crosssex hormones had been available, I would have done everything I could to obtain them, including threatening suicide especially if I had others encouraging me to threaten suicide as children are today.In the shortterm I likely would have felt better.Testosterone is a controlled substance. Like other controlled substances, it has high risks to health and wellbeing and has the potential for both addiction and abuse. Testosterone makes almost anyone who takes it initially feels a sense of euphoria. If I had taken it as a child it would have allowed me to completely dissociate from myself as a girl and create a new persona, someone who could pretend that the horrible trauma that triggered my gender dysphoria didnt happen to me.When I first started taking it, it would have boosted my confidence and increased my energy and most importantly, I would have felt safer.If I took testosterone, it would have been so much easier to pretend that I was not the little girl who was brutally sexually assaulted. A little girl who became convinced at the moment of the assault that I was not safe being a girl. That the only way I could keep it from happening again was by becoming a boy.Despite feeling better in the short term, in the long term taking testosterone would have been profoundly damaging, potentially even more damaging than the sexual assault. I cant imagine the impact of being told by teachers, doctors, and other adults that I was born in the wrong body. That I was inherently flawed.It would have reinforced all the mistaken beliefs I had that caused me to develop gender dysphoria in the first place:That being a girl was bad.That it was my fault that those men hurt me. That my body was a mistake.That it was too dangerous be a girl.If I had been medically transitioned, I wouldnt have gotten the help I needed to work through my selfhatred and shame.I never would have realized that my transgender identity was a coping mechanism.I am so thankful that my school psychologist put me on a healing path.I am grateful to other therapists who helped me understand that my transgender identity was a result of the sexual assault not because I was born in the wrong body.I shudder to think at what my life would be like if Id been encouraged to believe that I was a boy.I would have lived my life hating myself.Puberty blockers would have retarded my growth and development.Crosssex hormones would have caused my otherwise healthy body to become dysfunctional.The combination of both puberty blockers and crosssex hormones would have left me sterile.Children who says they feel better because of puberty blockers and crosssex hormones are likely telling the truth.In the short term, these interventions allow children to avoid the difficulties they are facing, whether that be grappling with internalized homophobia, struggling with autism, or trying to recover from a significant trauma.We should not be giving children controlled substances in order to make them feel better.It is a horrible disservice to encouraging them to dissociate, to run away from their feelings, to run away from themselves and to take a drug that in the short term will help them to feel better by numbing their feelings but in the long term, permanently damage their bodies and in the long term, prevent them from gettingthe help that they need to understand the difficult feelings that they're having in the first place.It is natural for children to do what they can to shut down difficult feelings which is why we work hard to stop children from using drugs and alcohol.We know that encouraging children to run away from their pain and struggles is not the solution even if it makes them feel better in the short term.It is our job as adults to give children the message that no matter how intense and difficult their feelings are, they can work through them without dissociating from themselves to become a different person.Because of loving, caring, and supportive therapists and teachers, I got the care I so desperately needed to process what happened to me.Transgender activists often discount my story, saying I was never really transgender. They are right. I wasnt. And that is the point.Even though I was insistent, consistent, and persistent about being a boy, I wasnt a boy. Yet gender doctors admit that the only diagnostic criteria used to determine if a child should get puberty blockers, crosssex hormones, and surgeries is if the child is insistent, consistent, and persistent with gender confusion. It only takes one story like mine to show they are wrong. To show that children develop gender dysphoric feelings not because of being born in the wrong body, but as a coping mechanism.The belief that a child can somehow be born in the wrong is a mystical view, not a medical view.I have great respect for doctors. However, they have gotten it wrong in the past.We are still suffering from the consequences of the opioid epidemic, where doctors were told by pharmaceutical companies that treating pain with dangerous and addictive opioids was safe and effective.How many thousands of people died because doctors were following guidelines for pain management written by those who were profiting from the sale of opioids?How many people have wrestled with serious addictions after wellmeaning doctors prescribed medications that they had been told were safe and effective only to find out later that they were misled by pharmaceutical companies willing to put dollars ahead of human lives?The so called treatments for gender dysphoria that are being championed by activists will go down in history as being far worse than the opioid crisis unless regulation are passed to protect children from these experimental and harmful interventions.The only treatment proven to help manage and resolve gender dysphoria is therapy combined with allowing children to naturally progress through puberty naturally.Children struggling with confusion about their identity need love and support. I got the gift of time to heal and I am so incredibly grateful.The children who are struggling with gender dysphoria in Iowa deserve the same gift. Please support HSB 214.Thank you, Erin Brewer

02-27-2023

Joseph Kohm [Family Policy Alliance]

Re: Official Testimony Supporting H.S.B. 214 Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, My name is Joseph Kohm III. I am an attorney and the Public Policy Director for Family Policy Alliance. Family Policy Alliance advocates for policies that strengthen families and religious freedom in state capitols across the country, and federally. We host an alliance of 40 statebased family policy organizations, to achieve a vision of a nation where families thrive, life is cherished, and religious freedom flourishes. Thank you for the opportunity to share with you how H.S.B. 214 will protect children from dangerous sex change procedures. First, H.S.B. 214 helps children struggling to embrace their biological sex by protecting them from harmful drugs and surgery. A small but growing percentage of the American population experiences distress identifying with their biological sex,1 and for the small percentage of children who are gender nonconforming or experience distress identifying with their biological sex, studies consistently demonstrate that the majority come to embrace their biological sex in adolescence or adulthood, thereby rendering most medical physiological interventions unnecessary.2 However, in recent years, politicized medical organizations have pushed referring children for invasive, harmful forms of treatment that can include offlabel use of puberty blockers, administration of crosssex hormones far above naturally occurring levels, and even sometimes surgery. These organizations have adopted their "guidance" without longterm, peerreviewed studies.3 The pressure is so great that in many states, medical professionals are legally barred from offering helpful talk therapy to children for this issue.4 This functionally sends children struggling with their biological sex down a oneway path to transition by making it appear to be the only treatment option available. This is especially alarming given the fact that 80 to 95 percent of children will outgrow gender dysphoria and embrace their biological sex if these experimental treatments are not used,5 but 100% of children go on to transition if these harmful treatments are used.6 The use of pubertyblockers to treat gender dysphoria in children is experimental, with these drugs being used in an offlabel manner, and will create longterm damage, including:7 i.Sterilization: The combination of puberty blockers with crosssex hormones will result in sterilization. ii.Potential for decreased growth spurts: There is preliminary evidence that delaying puberty may decrease the pubertyrelated growth spurt and thus limit the height the person would have otherwise achieved. iii.Potentially increased risk for osteoporosis: The time in our lives when the greatest concentration of calcium is put into our bones is during adolescence. Halting the natural onset of puberty will stop that process and there is no evidence that the normal calcium deposition is regained once puberty is restarted.The use of crosssex hormones comes with serious known risks. For biological females, these risks may include:8 i.Irreversible infertility; ii.Severe liver dysfunction;iii.Coronary artery disease, including heart attacks;iv.Increased risk of breast, cervical, and uterine cancers;v.Cerebrovascular disease, including strokes;vi.Hypertension;vii.Erythrocytosis, which is an increase in red blood cells;viii.Sleep apnea; ix.Type 2 diabetes; x.Loss of bone density; andxi.Destabilization of psychiatric disorders.For biological males, these risks may include:9 xii.Irreversible infertilityxiii.Thromboembolic disease, including blood clots;xiv.Cholelithiasis, including gallstones;xv.Coronary artery disease, including heart attacks;xvi.Type 2 diabetes;xvii.Breast cancer;xviii.Macroprolactinoma, which is a tumor of the pituitary gland;xix.Cerebrovascular disease, including strokes; andxx.Hypertriglyceridemia, which is an elevated level of triglycerides in the blood; Additionally, sex change surgeries and their effects are irreversible. These gruesome procedures include, for boys, removing the subjects penis and fashioning a fake vagina out of it (penectomy and vulvoplasty); and, for girls, removing flesh from the forearm or thigh and fashioning a fake penis out of it (phalloplasty), or a double mastectomy, the removal of both healthy breasts. The effects of damaging children in this way before they even reach the age of majority include infertility, increased risk of infection, and a high risk of additional necessary surgeries, and many more.10 H.S.B. 214 protects vulnerable children from such treatment by granting children a right of action to seek legal recourse against doctors who perform these procedures on them. When plaintiffs incur damages at the hands of others, the laws objective is to make them whole or as close to whole as possible. Sadly, most children who undergo gender transition procedures can never be made fully whole. For example, a 14yearold girl who undergoes a double mastectomy will never be able to nurse her future children or regain lost, fully healthy body parts. Thankfully, H.S.B. 214 is victimcentric, granting these children a right to recover vast amounts of damages. No amount of money could ever restore what was taken from them, but this bill correctly aim to make them as whole as possible. Second, H.S.B. 214 ensures vulnerable children struggling with gender dysphoria receive the help they need. It protects their access to therapy and other helpful treatments, such as antidepressant medication. It creates an environment that ensures any children with comorbidities, such as depression or anorexia receive proper treatment for those conditions, rather than enabling a singularlyfocused, oneway transition pipeline that would leave these comorbidities totally untreated. In 2014, a study found that 62.7% of patients diagnosed with gender dysphoria had at least one cooccurring disorder, and 33% were found to have major depressive disorders, which are linked to suicide ideation.11 Additionally, H.S.B. 214 makes allowance for children who may already be taking crosssex hormones and puberty blockers by allowing them to take a healthy amount of time to wean off these dangerous drugs: the substantive provisions of the bill do not go into effect until six months after it is enacted.In conclusion, H.S.B. 214 is critically needed legislation to protect Iowas children from dangerous and irreversible gender transition interventions. By passing this bill, Iowa will demonstrate its commitment to protecting vulnerable children and ensuring access to the healthcare they need. Therefore, we strongly urge you to vote Yes on this legislation.Sincerely, Joseph Kohm III, Esq.Director, Public Policy1 See, e.g., Gary J. Gates, Williams Distinguished Scholar, How Many People are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender? 1 THE WILLIAMS INSTITUTE (April 2011).2 Thomas D. Steensma, et al., Desisting and Persisting Gender Dysphoria After Childhood: A Qualitative FollowUp Study, 16 CLINICAL CHILD PSYCH. AND PSYCHIATRY (2010) 499516; Annelou L. C. de Vries and Peggy T. CohenKettenis, Clinical Management of Gender Dysphoria in Children and Adolescents: The Dutch Approach in Treating Transgender Children and Adolescents: An Interdisciplinary Discussion 1112, Jack Drescher and William Byne, eds., (2014).; See World Profl Assn for Trans. Health, Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People, v. 7 at 11, available at https://s3.amazonaws.com/amohubcontent/Association140/files/Standards%20of%20Care%20V7%20%202011%20WPATH%20(2)(1).pdf.3 Paul Dirks, Transition as Treatment: The Best Studies Show the Worst Outcomes, The Public Discourse (Feb. 16, 2020), https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2020/02/60143/.4 2017 Bill Tracking WA S.B. 5722; 2017 Bill Text HI S.B. 270.5 American College of Pediatricians, Gender Ideology Harms Children, Aug. 17, 2016, available at https://www.acpeds.org/thecollegespeaks/positionstatements/genderideologyharmschildren.6 Becky McCall, Lisa Nainggolan, Transition Therapy for Transgender Teens Drives Divide, WebMD Health News (Apr. 23, 2021), https://www.webmd.com/children/news/20210427/transitiontherapyfortransgenderteensdrivesdivide.7 American College of Pediatricians, Gender Ideology Harms Children, Aug. 17, 2016, available at https://www.acpeds.org/thecollegespeaks/positionstatements/genderideologyharmschildren.; E. Coleman, et. Al, Standards of Care for the Health of Transgender and Gender Diverse People, Version 8, 23 INTL JOURNAL OF TRANSGENDER HEALTH 51, 5213 (2022). 8 World Profl Assn for Transgender Health at 3740, 50, 97104 (includes a more comprehensive list of side effects and risks than what is included here).9 Id.10 Cecilia Dhejne, et. al, LongTerm FollowUp of Transsexual Persons Undergoing Sex Reassignment Surgery: Cohort Study in Sweden, 4 SEX MED. 5758, 6264.11 Azadeh Mazaheri Meybodi, et. Al, Psychiatric Axis I Comorbidities among Patients with Gender Dysphoria, PSYCHIATRY JOURNAL 15.

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02-27-2023

Nichole Hoffman []

Preventing youth from being able to pursue their true identities is beyond harmful emotionally and physically. They arent doing this for attention. They just want to feel comfortable in their own bodies. There are rules/safeguards in place to help them make sure this is the right decision. Youth who are questioning their gender go through years of trauma and therapy before any final decisions are made. A dear friend of mine waited to transition and due to going through puberty struggles to pass as a female now regardless of the hormones taken to change her appearance. Thoughts of suicide has been the result of feeling trapped in the wrong body. This is not a choice! Why on earth would anyone choose to go through so much pain and heartache?! Often taking steps to transition means losing support and relationships with friends and loved ones. Again, why would anyone choose this?! Please o not cause more harm! Allow them to be in control of their bodies!!!

02-27-2023

Trevor Jackson []

Please vote NO on this bill that removes parent and child choice when it comes to highly personal health care decisions about a fundamental measure of a human's civil rights. There is so much misinformation about the nature of transgender care for minors. Any decision, even reversible ones like the decision to administer puberty blockers, are made after a team of medical professionals and the child's parents or guardians agree that this is the proper course of action. These decisions are not made quickly or lightly and involve years of care and observation from therapists, endocrinologists, psychiatrists, social workers, pediatricians, and parents. It would be tragic if misunderstandings about the nature, extent, or speed of this care influenced your decision and produced outcomes you did not intend. Every major medical organization from the American Medical Association to the American Academy of Pediatrics to the Endocrine Society agrees that providing the option for kids to choose saves far more lives than denying them this care does. There is no valid reason that has evidencebased scientific backing to remove that choice from these people and their families. Please vote NO.

02-27-2023

Judith Rose [Gays Against Grooming ]

Please pass this bill and let children grow up normally. The FDA issued a warning on puberty blockers and in the UK they recognize that most children with gender dysphoria are going through a phase. Puberty is key to human development and pausing does not come without consequences. Side effects can include: loss of bone density, delayed brain development, a higher risk of cancer and sterility. Please let children be, let them grow into healthy adults by passing this bill.

02-27-2023

Rachelle La Mar []

Please vote no on this bill. Trans youth, their parents and medical professionals should be the only ones who get a say in what treatments are right and when they should be administered. Many young people who are not trans access genderaffirming health care, like ones who are suffering from hormonal imbalances, precocious puberty and polycystic ovarian syndrome. There is nothing inherently harmful about undergoing hormone treatment to sustain ones health and it is a common practice in many nontransgender patients for reasons unrelated to treatment of gender dysphoria. This care saves lives. Proper genderaffirming care can mitigate a patients clinical distress and lead to significant improvements in the overall wellbeing of youth and adolescents who are at risk of or have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria studies show that transgender adults who received appropriate treatment during adolescence had a lower incidence of lifetime suicidal ideation than those who wanted but could not obtain such treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics.This will also hurt our already suffering economy. Doctors will choose to not practice here. Families will move away to seek care in other states. Businesses won't want to operate in a state where their employees' family can't get adequate health care. For the health of our state, our families and our youth, please, don't pass this bill.

02-27-2023

Carin Birt []

Please vote YES to HSB 214. We need to protect our kids in Iowa. Minors should not be making decisions that will permanently effect their physical and mental health. We dont allow minors to buy tobacco products, get tattoos, or buy guns but it is ok for them to make a decision that will change their lives forever. Please protect our kids.

02-27-2023

Katie Larson Ode []

To the legislative members of the Iowa House of Representatives:I am writing to oppose HSB 214In Pediatrics we know that the parents are the people who know what is best for their children and no parents ever want their child to suffer. When parents bring their children who are hurting and suffering to me, my job as a physician is to alleviate that suffering. We often think that doing nothing prevents error and harm. However, denying care causes harm and this harm can be permanent. I have been caring for the children and teens of Iowa for more than 10 years. In Iowa, we only provide medical care for transgender youth with the full consent of their parents or guardians. No child comes to my clinic unless their parent brings them. Medical care for transgender youth is medically necessary and recognized as such by all of the major medical associations: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association as well as many others. It often believed that doing nothing (preventing or delaying care) cannot harm. This is not true. Preventing care and delaying care do clearly cause direct and irreversible harm. Transgender people who have to wait until they are adults to transition can have irreversible psychological damage that isnt present in teens who are allowed to start medical transition in their teenage years. This bill will cause harm. I have only been to one funeral of one transgender child in the last 10 years. I do not ever want to see another mother cry because she couldnt get access to the care her child needed to survive. If this bill passes, there will be parents in the state of Iowa who cant get care for their children that they know their children need. Please let parents decide what care their children need. Please dont take this away from them. I implore you not to pass this bill.

02-27-2023

Kristy Hartsgrove Mooers []

I urge the legislature to support transgender children. There is so much misunderstanding regarding gender affirming care for kids, and the idea that children will be getting surgical modifications to their bodies is just not a fact. Gender affirming care just helps kids and their families get support and care as they grow up into who they are meant to be. There are multiple studies showing that trans and nonbinary kids who cant get this kind of support are at extremely high risk for depression and suicide. Allowing kids to be honest and authentic about who they are without shame or bullying is the right choice for trans kids in Iowa.

02-27-2023

Robert Kremer []

Please do not support this. Passing this will show our youth that their home does not see them as valid. This is appalling. Do not let this state turns its back on its own people. Trans rights are human rights.

02-27-2023

julianne ossman []

Please don't support this bill. Transgender affirming healthcare is only provided to youth with the full consent of their parents/guardians. This is a long and arduous process that follows guidelines supported by major US medical organizations like the AMA, AAP, APA, AAFP. There are real benefits of providing trans care including many studies proving increased life satisfaction and decreased depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation. There are real risks to not proving care it is not a neutral action.

02-27-2023

Nicole VanderLinden []

Please vote NO on this bill. It's a serious misconception to say that genderaffirming care for minors is political or part of an "agenda." That could not be further from the truth. As a parent who entered this journey with a lot of ignorance, I can tell you that this care is not nearly as controversial in the medical field as some politicians present. Every major medical association supports genderaffirming care as the standard of care, and these conclusions were not reached willynilly or because people wanted to harm children. These conclusions were made conservatively, and carefully, and slowly based on all available data over decades. The process of transitioning is extremely careful and as noninvasive as possible. It requires an entire medical and psychiatric team's longterm observation. It does not, in the vast majority of cases, involve surgery. In an era when parental rights are often discussed, it's a travesty that so many families should be denied established and datasupported health care in Iowa. Shouldn't medical practitioners and those directly impacted have a voice in medically necessary decisions determined by goldstandard doctors? Shouldn't we listen to what decades of research have told us? On top of the mountain of evidence, I and so many other parents could tell you a wealth of personal stories about how lifechanging (in a GOOD way) genderaffirming care is for minors. Please show Iowans that we value our youths' mental health and physical safety. Please vote NO on HSB 214.

02-27-2023

Mark Hartsgrove Mooers []

Please vote no. Let these decisions remain between the parents, doctors and the child. Legislators have no place in private medical decisions decided by the experts, namely those parents, children and doctors. Growing up "normal" is different for each person.

02-27-2023

Valerie Kies []

Please vote NO to HSB 214.I am Physician Assistant in Iowa, and have practiced Family Medicine since graduating from the University of Iowas PA Program in 2008. Gender affirming care for a minor requires consent of parents/guardians and is alligned with established standards of care that are evidenced based and supported by every major US Medical Association. The diagnosis and treatment of gender dysphoria is not made lightly. A team consisting of mental health providers, medical providers, the patient and PARENTS/GUARDIANS work together to help the patient and their parents make an informed decision to best support the overall health of the patient. I am very concerned about the negative and potentially life threatening consequences that the passing of this bill could have on the transgender and gender diverse youth in this state. I am also concerned about the economic impact passing such a law could have. It is already difficult to recruit professionals to move to Iowa. Passing laws that isolate and make obtaining necessary healthcare for family members illegal is not a draw. It does not promote a welcoming environment and does not present our state in a positive manor. Please vote NO to HSB 214

02-27-2023

Dessie Sliekers []

I strongly OPPOSE this bill. To take life saving medical care away from children is cruel and incredibly harmful. Removing this care is likely to cause an increase in teens self harming and likely suicides. The government needs to stay out of a familys choice on how they move forward with essential medical care.

02-27-2023

Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter []

I oppose HSB 214. We are not protecting minors with this bill, but causing undue harm. No one is forcing youth to transition, quite the contrary. Protecting our children means embracing and accepting them for who they truly are, and engaging in dialogues and learning all we can to help them achieve their true self.

02-27-2023

J Scott []

Im in support of this bill HSB 214 to protect children from life altering procedures. It has been proven that 1225% who have had these procedures end up regretting them later. Children should not be allowed or forced to make such decisions. It is child abuse. Children arent able to get a tattoo before age 18, and they should not be allowed to alter their given gender before then as well. In all reality it should be age 25. Please vote yes to protect the children of Iowa.

02-27-2023

Shellie Flockhart []

This is an adult decision. Not a decision to be made by a minor. Period. The brain has not fully developed until around the age of 25. Many young teens go thru confusion around the age of puberty. To make any final or destructive decisions at such a young age could truly harm a persons ability to lead the life they may want as they become an adult. Hormone shots have been proven to stop brain development. As we have heard from those who want this option, majority of time, there is mental illness attached to gender dysmorphia. That needs to be addressed for years before any surgery or treatment of transitioning should ever be offered. We would never offer a girl with anorexia a gastric bypass surgery, just to make her happy at the moment. We would offer support, love, and mental therapy. Please do NOT allow access to any transition procedure for minors. Please vote YES

02-27-2023

Courtney Collier []

Please VOTE yes on HSB 214 Research shows us that the prefrontal cortex does not fully develope until after age 25, we must therefore lovingly protect our minors from making permanent and life altering medical decisions during the time in which they are discovering who they are as they become adults.We must also protect minor children from being encouraged to participate in life altering medical procedures and medical products, by doctors or medical professionals who seek to profit from their impressionability and vulnerability. There is big money in these treatments and surgeries. As this trendy cultural phenomenon of youth who identify as trans continues to unfold, more people are coming forward to discuss their detransition as well as the ways they have been misled and even coerced into these devastating life altering medications and surgeries by medical professionals. We must wisely protect minor Iowans from this.

02-27-2023

Nolan Petersen []

Please do not support this bill. If the concern is protecting minors from medical intervention, there are already laws that require parents or guardians to approve any medical procedures involving minors. If the concern is preventing medical professionals from practicing genderaffirming medicine, families with either seek care outside the state or leave the state entirely, if it means their child can access the care they need. If the concern is preventing negligent parents from harming their children, no reasonable medical professional would proceed with such medical intervention without a child's consent, and any unreasonable medical professional won't be stopped by this law. If the concern is to wait until individuals are no longer minors, why do we allow any medical practice on children except in emergency situations can't every other procedure wait until someone is older? Ironically, gender affirming care is often an urgent issue for families, and denying or delaying gender affirming care will result in increased suicide and murder rates among transgender youth, as the data shows in countries which outlaw gender affirming care, generally for religious reasons.No matter how you slice it, this bill is either redundant (preventing medical practice on minors without adult consent is already illegal), ignorant (transgender youth are still transgender and will find affirming care elsewhere), or intentionally harmful (not letting a parent or a medical professional provide care for a child encourages negligence that results in harm to the child.)And we shouldn't support laws that are redundant, ignorant, or intentionally harmful.

02-27-2023

Jill De Young []

Please vote NO on this bill. Banning gender affirming health care is invalidating, unnecessary, and cruel. Access to care supports mental and physical wellbeing and any decisions related to gender affirming care should be left to patients, their caregivers, and medical professionals. If you care about Iowans, please vote NO.

02-27-2023

Sharon Falduto []

Vote NO on this bill. Iowa should be a leader in Civil Rights, not a follower of bullies with no understanding of transgender individuals. Listen to the medical professionals who have told you to vote "no," not the out of state lobbyists who have decided that transgender people are the new target of discrimination. A yes vote is a vote for more kids dying because they can't get gender affirming care. Why would Iowa want to punch down on already marginalized people?

02-27-2023

Patricia Clark []

I support gender affirming care for trans and nonbinary kids and their families. The government shall not infringe on the rights and privacy between a person and their doctor. Please vote NO on this bill!

02-27-2023

Brandy Cross []

As a lifelong Iowan, I implore you to vote no and oppose this bill. Please do not allow this bill to pass out of subcommittee. Our trans youth are a small and vulnerable population. Families select healthcare providers that are able to help their children with all types of medical decisions. Medical decisions should be made with the consultation of recognized professionals who study and practice in healthcare. All major accredited medical associations approve this care for transgender youth. Every trans person's journey is unique and their own, but they should be allowed to make the journey as they see fit. They should be trusted to understand themselves. Families and medical professionals do NOT take the lives and medical care of trans youth lightly or without caution. The extensive considerations that must be taken are extensive. If another medical treatment would save the life of a patient, there would be no consideration that this would not be the right path. SO why doesn't the same apply to trans youth and their medical treatment. It is not appropriate for politicians to tell my child who they get to be or the medical care that they need and deserve just because who they are makes some people angry or uncomfortable. Trans youth of this state need you to stand up against this bill and not pass it out of subcommittee!

02-27-2023

MELISSA MCALLISTER []

I am a small business owner and resident in Ankeny, Iowa. I volunteer weekly in the schools, working with students directly. I am writing to you to beg you to vote no on HSB 214. This bill is incredibly dangerous and harmful to LGBTQ youth. I am the parent of a teenage transgender daughter and HSB 214 greatly concerns me as I have personally seen the positive impact of gender affirming care. Prior to our daughter accessing genderaffirming care, she experienced crippling anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. She did not use the restroom at school for the entirety of 9th grade. Since receiving genderaffirming care, she is not only attending classes, she is voluntarily participating in two after school clubs. The genderaffirming care of HRT has helped my daughter to feel more like she sees herself. Suddenly not having access to genderaffirming care would be so, so detrimental to our daughters mental health. If this bill becomes law, it will be unsustainable for us to remain in Iowa. We would have to close our successful small business and move out of the state.HSB 214 would criminalize best practice medical care for transgender youthbacked by every major American medical organization, including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. HSB 214 will negatively impact the mental health of LGBTQ youth at a time when its already in crisisa recent study shows 44% of LGBTQ youth in Iowa seriously considered suicide in the last year compared to 18% of nonLGBTQ youth.HSB 214 amounts to discrimination against transgender minors by denying them access to medically necessary care. Moreover, HSB 214 impedes the fundamental right of parents to make medical decisions for their minor children. Exclusion of gender affirming care also violates the Affordable Care Act and puts the state of Iowa at risk. As the mom of a transgender child, I beg you to vote NO on HSB 214.Melissa McAllisterAnkeny, Iowa

02-27-2023

Laurie Zaiger []

I urge you to vote no on this bill. These children need the support and care from trained professional and medical experts who can work with them to best determine their specific needs for achieving their true selves. This is a life or death issue that will not be served by political grandstanding that at the least does not understand the vulnerability of these children and at the worst does not care. This is an individual and private journey. Keep government out of it. Vote no. No to hate. No to interference. No to ignorance. No to bullying.

02-27-2023

Jivani Rodriguez []

Please vote no. I urge every person who wants this bill to pass to read this Scientific American article before posting a public comment (it's ok to change your mind after gaining more information!): https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whatthescienceongenderaffirmingcarefortransgenderkidsI'll pull out some key quotes: "Genderaffirming care includes social gender transitioningacknowledging that a young person is trans, using their correct pronouns and name, and supporting their desire to live publicly as the gender of their experience rather than their sex assigned at birth." How would you feel if you went to the doctor and they addressed you by someone else's name and referred to you as "ma'am" when you're a man, or "sir" if you're a woman? You would feel uncomfortable, right? You wouldn't trust the doctor to listen to or cater to your needs. This is also what you'd be depriving children of a sense of safety and being understood. "Data frommore than a dozen studies of more than 30,000 transgender and genderdiverse young peopleconsistently show that access to genderaffirming care is associated with better mental health outcomesand that lack of access to such care is associated with higher rates of suicidality, depression and selfharming behavior." Trans people are already at an alarmingly high risk of suicide & violence, so the only thing you'd be doing by passing this bill is risking more lives. You would be ENDANGERING the very people you've been elected to protect. Trans people are YOUR people. Listen to them. "Major medical organizations, including theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), theAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, theEndocrine Society, theAmerican Medical Association, theAmerican Psychological Associationand theAmerican Psychiatric Association, have published policy statements and guidelines on how to provide ageappropriate genderaffirming care." Any individual who claims that what is best for trans individuals is NOT giving them proper medical care is actively going against all of these qualified, accredited, official medical organizations that they trust to perform other medical practices every single day. "Before puberty, genderaffirming care is about supporting theprocessof gender development rather than directing children through a specific course of gender transition or maintenance of cisgender presentation." Please do not fear monger here. "Data suggest theeffects of denying that careare worse than whatever side effects result from delaying sexassignedatbirth puberty." That is all you really need to know in order to make the decision to reject this bill. Thank you.

02-27-2023

Clarity Guerra []

Vote no. Gender affirming care/ gender transition care saves lives. Children who are denied genderaffirming care are at higher risk of suicide. The medical establishment has come to understand gender transition care, which is a careful and deliberate process, as good patient care. An attempt to force trans kids to live by their sex assigned at birth is unsafe, unkind, and unIowan. No on HSB 214.

02-27-2023

Nicole Scott []

Please vote no. This bill does not support students. All medical care should be decided with a persons doctor, and if a minor, theyre parents. This bill is about fear and hate. Please stop this attack on our students.

02-27-2023

Sara Even []

Please do not support HSB 214. Genderaffirming care is health care. Health care is a human right. All major medical associations support working with parents/guardians to provide ageappropriate and scientificallybacked care for our transgender youth. These are not decisions taken lightly by parents and their healthcare team but ARE decisions that save lives. I urge you to actually speak to parents and children whose lives will be immediately negatively impacted if this passes. Our hearts break at the invalidation and suppression of a true human experience.

02-27-2023

Miriam Thoe []

Vote no on this bill please. The careful decision for gender affirming care for minors is between the minor, their parent/guardian, and their physician not for the government. The misinformation surrounding gender affirming care is malicious and dangerous to health and wellbeing of transgender people. Hormone therapy is linked with reduced suicide risk for trans youth. Hormone therapy is also seen in cisgender women who suffer from pcos which causes a higher production of testosterone in women. Puberty blockers are used to treat debilitating cases of endometriosis. Bills like this one will not only hurt trans youth. It is a thin line between the state of Iowa banning genderaffirming care for trans youth and the state of Iowa banning whatever other medical care they deem fit. Ultimately, this is about an overreach of governmental power and the dangerous ramifications that come with.

02-27-2023

Christine Hayes []

Vote no on HSB 214. Many arguments in support of this bill point to the timeline of human development. If indeed we were to base such a decision on the physiological development of the human brain, then I would expect to see companion legislation that would outlaw intercourse, mandate contraception, and require abortion prior to the full development of the prefrontal cortex. It would prohibit the use of tobacco and alcohol until that same age. Perhaps the operation of motor vehicles would be delayed until the same developmental milestone was met as well.Alas, the assertion that this bill is intended to protect minors from decisions made in their youtheven though made on the recommendation of a therapist, after extensive consultation with medical professionals, and upon the consent of their legal guardiansis patently false. This bill is borne of fear, misunderstanding, and hatred.The research indicates that genderaffirming care for trans youth is a rare, safe, and effective treatment for gender dysphoria and the depression and anxiety that often accompany it. Vote with vulnerable children, informed parents, and educated medical professionals and reject HSB 214.

02-27-2023

Patty SeregAlexander []

Please support this bill. If you truly love someone, you stop them from harming themselves. Puberty blockers, binders, genital surgeries and hormones are harmful and irreversible. They are an illusion of happiness. Hormones also destroy the heart, destroy bone density and alter the brain. Not only are they destructive to people who take them, they are forever chemicals that filter into our streams and lakes destroying aquatic life.

02-27-2023

Angela Wenell []

Please vote yes for HSB214. There's a reason we do not let minors make highly consequential decisions like vote, drink alcohol, use tobacco, or get a tattoo. Why would we allow irreversible, life altering surgery often resulting in infertility and lifelong medical issues? The vast majority of youth with gender dysphoria decide in early adulthood to identify with their biological gender. It is irresponsible and harmful to mutilate a child's body for likely temporary feelings. To think when the state of mind is out of sync with the physical realities of the body we should mutilate the body instead of alter the mind through therapy is nonsensical and cruel.

02-27-2023

Katrina Brocka []

Vote No. Legislation like this is discriminatory, and removes public choice from the equation. Few if any of the elected politicians have a robust education regarding these issues, or healthcare in general. By bringing this forth, you have illustrated a complete lack of professionalism as it relates to your elected offices. There is no cause or need for this bill, therefore you are wasting our tax dollars and removing our rights as citizens.

02-27-2023

Kate Ahn []

Vote NO on this bill. This will have serious implications on good families, community members, and physicians in our state. Private medical decisions should be made by the patient, their parents, and their team of caring and experienced physicians, NOT the government. This care saves lives in a vulnerable population.

02-27-2023

Jenny Gringer []

Any medical decision of a minor should be made in careful consultation with a physician, family, and the minor. The Iowa legislature should have no authority in this matter, as this governing body has no expertise in this area. Please vote no.

02-27-2023

Susan Kaliszewski [UIHC]

Please vote NO on HSB 214. I am a physician assistant who has practiced at UIHC for 5.5 years in the LGBTQ clinic. I care for adult LGBTQ patients, including transgender patients. They often try to live in the closet for many years due to worries that they will be treated poorly if they transition, a fear that is all too real. However, upon finally transitioning, their mental health often improves dramatically. Many state that they wish they could have transitioned earlier, and studies support that people who are able to transition have improved measures of mental health. Conversely, those who are unable to transition are known to be at high risk for suicide and are frequently unable to complete their educations and hold down productive jobs. Regarding children transitioning, these decisions are never made without multiple professional evaluations and parental consent. By seeking to ban transitioning, you are going against the wishes of many Iowans who value their childrens health and wish to protect them from harm. Please, vote NO.

02-27-2023

Demi Makeig []

VOTE NO. A young trans boy committed suicide after not being able to receive HRT because of insurance and parental disdain. I have seen the life changing miracle that gender affirming care creates for trans people including young people. this is a life or death decision. VOTE NO.

02-27-2023

Demi Makeig []

02-27-2023

Carrie Pozdol []

Please vote no on this bill. Medical experts agree that gender affirming care is vital to the mental well being of trans and nonbinary children. There is much misinformation about what gender affirming care entails for minors. As a parent in Iowa, it is important to me that they be in a place that protects their ability to get any care they need. These decisions need to be between the medical professionals and the family.

02-27-2023

Elizabeth Lundberg []

I am strongly opposed to this bill and I urge you to listen to experts on transgender health and vote no. I am the mother of a trans girl and I need to be able to follow the advice of every reputable medical and psychological organization in the world when making decisions about her care. What about my parental rights? Dont I have the right to support my daughters health and safety? Gender affirming care drastically reduces the rate of suicidality among trans children. It is undertaken cautiously and judiciously with multiple examinations by multiple providers at every step. And it is something cisgender children receive and would continue to receive under this bill any time their pediatrician monitors their health throughout puberty and makes recommendations and writes prescriptions as needed, so this bill is blatant discrimination against a small and vulnerable population. Please listen to all the experts and those affected by these bills and stop attacking my family.

02-27-2023

Laura Ebinger []

Vote no on this bill. During the education bill discussion I kept hearing Republicans declare that the power should belong to the parents to decide what is best for their children. There are amazing parents of perfectly wonderful gender nonconforming children. Those parents and those children are far better suited to have these discussions with their medical providers and determine whats best. Let parents parent their children. Stop the state bullying of our most vulnerable citizens.

02-27-2023

Ricky Teed []

Wow, please protect our children by not allowing the medical professionals mutilate children's sex organs or prescribe them medications that will cause them to become sterile. Let our children grow up and make this decision as an adult. Even if a person perceives to be of a different sex than what they were born as, let them maintain their ability to be fluid until they can determine who they are after they are fully developed.

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

Eleanor Glewwe []

Please oppose this bill. Banning gender affirming care will harm transgender kids and teens. Gender affirming care is healthcare for trans youth, and withholding healthcare from them is cruel and goes against the recommendation of medical experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. This bill will hurt Iowa youth.

02-27-2023

Emily Welder []

Please vote NO. I am a family medicine physician practicing in Iowa. This bill impinges on the patient, doctor, parent relationship and rights of access to care. It is already illegal for doctors to treat without consent of the parent. I cannot administer a flu shot to a child let alone provide medical or surgical treatment without consent of the child and parent/guardian. This bill threatens litigation of doctors who even refer patients for care they need. Who would want to come and practice in this state? Gender dysphoria is a true medical entity. If not treated, there are numerous mental health conditions which develop as a result. We need more mental health care already. This bill is reinforcing hate and providing further barriers to access of care for an already marginalized group of people.

02-27-2023

Jayne Machak []

Vote no! There is no need to legislate bodies. Voting for this could set precedent for other legislation that will take away parents rights to choose what healthcare options are right for their children. This bill is unnecessary and is a message to Iowans that the state government thinks it knows better than Iowas parents what should happen to children in this state. Shameful!

02-27-2023

Anita Hoch []

HEB 214 needs to be passed to protect our children. Children at a young age have imaginations and will play roles or say they wish they were a boy or girl. Im know as a child I lived to play with boy toys and was much more interested in boy activities. At a young age children are innocent. Looking at giving our young children hormone blockers mastectomies hysterectomies mutilating their genitals is beyond my understanding. A child as they grow up may then change their minds and wish these procedures permanently affect them the rest of their lives. These procedures shouldnt be allowed when they are under the age of 18. We as adults have destroyed their life of being able to bear children and destroyed the beautifully wonderfully created body they have been given. Please pass this law to protect our children up to the legal age of 18 where they are able to make an adult decision. We as adults are again here to protect these precious children and give them a chance to decide when they are mature enough to make this decision on their bodies.

02-27-2023

PAULA GRADY []

I urge you to vote NO on this bill. Gender identity is not a choice for these youth. In the DSM5, the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals, this condition is known as gender dysphoria." (Note that classifying gender dysphoria as a disorder does notindeed, should notimply a moral judgment of transgender individuals.) They inherently experience distress with, or an inability to identify with their biological sex, usually prompting a desire to live ones life as the opposite sex. They go through years of trauma, internal struggle, judgment from family and friends, and therapy before any final decisions are made. They need and deserve to have the support of healthcare and mental health professionals.

02-27-2023

Tiffany Smith []

Even after knowing for sometime that these bills were coming, it was still a complete gut punch hearing that this and others like this bill are, in fact, being introduced. I have never relied on government officials, or people I have never met, and certainly not people with no healthcare background whatsoever to be a part of the health care plan for myself or my kids. I was born in Iowa and have lived my entire life here and never in 1 million years did I think about moving out of the state. But here I am contemplating where Ill need to go to take my family away from the breaches of our Iowa government that is wanting to do more harm than good. I heard several Republican lawmakers state time, and time again that we must let the parents choose, that parents know their kids best while talking about the school vouchers. But here we are talking about medical care that MY child is getting, the child I know and understand, then the tables have turned. Now people who have never talked to my child, never seen my child, feel they know what healthcare my child should get and not get better than me and my childs healthcare provider? Stop overstepping! Stop trying to fix something you have zero qualifications for. I oppose HSB 214.

02-27-2023

Jon Cross [Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska]

You need to vote no on this bill. As the father of a Trans son, the care he has received has been a lifesaver. He was close to suicide over this. You need to let parents and doctors make these decisions. There is nothing that is done quickly in instituting this care. Government should not be involved in these personal healthcare decisions. As a father and a lifelong resident of this state, I implore you to vote no and not continue this bill.

02-27-2023

Amy Dea []

Please vote in favor of passing this bill! The most important thing every adult can do is protect children! No child should make life changing and permanent decisions. They need guidance and adults working to protect them from harm. Their future of our country depends on our children. Please do everything you can to allow them the best possible opportunity to thrive!

02-27-2023

Amanda Mac []

Im respectfully asking you to vote yes on this bill. While I will always stand in support of grown adults making the best choices for themselves when it comes to their sexual identity we are talking about minor children here. The frontal cortex is not fully developed in a person until they reach age 25. Do we honestly expect children to have the mental capacity to understand the permanent effects that HRT has on the body? Do we truly believe that minor girls and boys have the ability to consent to their own genital mutilation which involves permanent decisions that will affect their ability to have children later on in life? I am asking you to protect our children while they are in their most critical years yet, and ban gender affirming treatments. There have been many detransitioners speaking out lately and they are all saying the same thing: they transitioned in their youth, and now, as an adult they are transitioning back to their original sex, and its with much regret as now they may not be able to have children or, breastfeed future children, like Chloe Cole has spoken about. Her voice has been permanently changed due to HRT. She is open with her regret to transition. There is also a massive elephant in the room that needs addressed the pharmaceutical companies stand to take in millions of dollars for each child who decides to transition. Is the push to affirm gender via surgery, another attempt to put profit over people? Please vote yes on this bill and continue to protect our children, especially during their critical years of growth. If they still feel the same way as an adult, after they have gone through puberty, then they still have the opportunity to receive gender affirming care.

02-27-2023

Cara Muta []

I beg you, please vote no and end the assault on vulnerable children! Gender affirming health case IS health care and should be determined by the patient, their parents, and their health care providers. It is not a process that happens quickly, rather there are several steps over the course of years and with evaluations and much consideration. The government has no business determining health care for anyone!

02-27-2023

Jason Sifford []

I have very strong reservations regarding any law that restricts bodily autonomy and wrests the control of medical decisionmaking from the medical community and the public it serves.Perhaps it will be shown one day that genderaffirming care is to the public's detriment, but as it stands, the bill feel too partisan, too early, and ideologically arbitrary. I urge our legislature to vote NO on the bill as it currently stands and allow the practice to continue to be explored and debated in the public sphere.

02-27-2023

Michelle Miller []

I am writing to urge you to not pass this bill. It is quite clear that those of you in support of this bill do not know, love or support someone who is transgender. Therefore, you have absolutely no insight on the topic, and are making very important decisions that will affect this population in ways you cant imagine. Listen to those who love and support this very small population. Listen to their doctors, who specialize in their care. My niece is transgender, and is on hormone replacement therapy. She is living her truth, despite the backlash of those who refuse to accept her for who she is. I fear for her mental health and well being if you pass this bill. Please, please leave these kids alone! Do not pass this bill!

02-28-2023

Jill Bjorklund []

VOTE NO on this dangerous bill that will cause arguably the most vulnerable population among us to experience elevated rates of depression, anxiety, suicide ideation, selfharm, and suicide. This bill would forcibly detransition trans youth receiving standard medical care from their doctors. How is the party of limited government inserting itself between patients and doctors and between youth and their parents. What about the "parent rights" I heard so much about during the election? When do I get to exercise mine? Banning this healthcare will cause great harm to trans youth and will kick our queer neighbors on out the door to safe states like Illinois and Minnesota. This will have a ripple effect in our insurance companies/policies as well. Don't have a kneejerk reaction to blatant misinformation and do not BAN the right for trans people to exist and pursue happiness in Iowa. Oh and you know what else is irreverisble? Puberty. My family will be forced to flee the state to protect our trans daughter's happiness and safety. This does not reflect Iowa values. Vote NO.

02-28-2023

Brenda Brandenburg []

I support this bill, HSB 214. Research shows us that the prefrontal cortex does not fully develope until after age 25, we must therefore lovingly protect our minors from making permanent and life altering medical decisions during the time in which they are discovering who they are as they become adults. We must also protect minor children from being encouraged to participate in life altering medical procedures and medical products, by doctors or medical professionals who seek to profit from their impressionability and vulnerability. There is big money in these treatments and surgeries. As this cultural phenomenon of youth who identify as trans continues to unfold, more people are coming forward to discuss their detransition as well as the ways they have been misled and even coerced into these devastating life altering medications and surgeries by medical professionals. We must wisely protect minor Iowans from this. If we say a child cant consent to having sex under statutory rape laws because they are too young and not developed enough to make this decision than why in the world would it be okay for these types of life changing decisions be alright? I say let a child develop and be able to comprehend the consequences and risks involved with what they are deciding for later in their developmental stage of life. Please Vote YES to HSB 214

02-28-2023

Hope Spragg []

Please vote no. Providing care that is safe and thoughtfully considered by medical experts and families should be a human right. To deny care that will be harmful to a childs mental health based on misunderstandings, misconceptions or political intolerances is irresponsible and poor use of resources.Keep supportive health care options accessible for the wellbeing of our children, families and communities.

02-28-2023

Will Bamber []

Transitioning is life saving Healthcare. Less than 2% of patients who receive transition care later detransition. That is one of the best success rates in all of Healthcare. This bill is willfully transphobic as well as blatantly against the Iowa Code and Civil Rights Act that state that Iowans cannot be discriminated against because of their gender identity. This bill will harm thousands of trans Iowans. I am sickened that my home state, where I have lived my entire life is pandering to such hatred.

02-28-2023

Sara Law []

I am firmly against this bill proceeding. I'm surprised the party of "pro life" would propose something that counties studies have shown will result in the detriment and even death of our children. I'm also surprised the party championing "parents rights" would choose to trample on them in this way. I have a young child, and am hoping to bring more children into the world. If this bill were to pass, I fear for their potential safety and the safety of their friends. Please keep Iowa's fields of opportunities ripe for all Iowans and do not pass this bill.

02-28-2023

Jennifer Sparks []

Please vote no on this bill. The only people who should be involved in this decision is the child, parents and their health care team. Definitely not the government. But my guess is for political points our elected leaders will pass this. When did our state become so hateful? Are we really willing to step down on children just because we dont agree with them? Are we willing to watch them go to a dark place mentally and perhaps kill themselves? I would bet not a single one of you who are ready to pass this bill has talked to a trans child or their parents. Or for f**k sakes an actual professional in this field. This Republican majority Iowa has right now is harming our state and its people. Please stop.

02-28-2023

Sheila Johnson []

For a party that likes to say that parental rights are paramount to everything, you sure do want to forget that part when proposing legislation that takes those rights away from parents of trans youth. I thought that loving our children was one place common ground could be found. The only problem with that is it's clear that you mind causing OUR children real harm. This kind of legislation will result in lives lost. It's hurtful and harmful, but I think that's the point.Vote NO.

02-28-2023

Sheila Johnson []

I'm losing count now of how many bills have been put forward to hurt and silence an already marginalized minority. Remember that our trans kids have parents and families who live in and work in our communities. In order to save our kids' lives, we'll need to leave this state if hateful legislation like this passes. Don't believe me? Open your ears and listen to trans people and their families. Vote NO

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

Genevieve Lifka-Reselman []

I disagree with creating laws that take away the professional judgement of medical providers to provide evidence based care to meet their patients' needs. It is bad governing, will harm Iowans, and will make it harder to recruit and retain medical providers.

02-28-2023

P Pool []

Please vote NO on the passage of this bill. As a child welfare social worker who also happens to be educated on trauma and the brain I assure you that this bill will be damaging towards the emotional and mental wellbeing of SO many youth.

02-28-2023

Kari Callahan []

I am in opposition to this bill. Pushing this bill forward contradicts decisions being made by the same group of people in the capitol building. If it is truly believed that families/parents/students come first in choosing where to go to school, why is it that its being considered to remove some of those families/parents/students ability to choose what is in their own family members best interest physically, mentally, and emotionally? These families reach out to the people who know what they are talking about: doctors, therapists, etc. They dont reach out to the government because they dont need your help making decisions for them, their families, and their children in this matter. LGBTQ people will not go away. They will not disappear if these things are ripped away from them. They will still be there. But they will need our help more than they do now. The damage this bill could do to some of the youth of our LGBTQ community should be more concerning than its being made by the people proposing this ugly bill. Id like to send off with a question Im not sure I can even answer: Who would this bill truly benefit?

02-28-2023

Jennifer Oredson []

Please do not allow this measure to move out of subcommittee. All of the antitrans bills being introduced in this legislative session scare me terribly, but this one scares me the most because its passage would have the most profound effect on my family. I am the mother of a transgender daughter who receives lifesaving hormone therapy, and it would be impossible for her to go on if she was no longer able to receive this medical care. The legislature has no role in the decisions made between a doctor and their patient, and denying a whole population of people necessary medical care is the very definition of oppression. I am the owner of a local small business that employs 20 people, and while that might seem small compared to other large businesses, it would have a profound effect on my employees and my customers if I were to need to leave the state to protect my child's life. When Iowa is already struggling to retain its youth population (let alone attract new youth), I cannot fathom what benefit this bill could bring our state if it were to pass. It does nothing but make our state repellant to the younger generation and to major businesses. Ask yourself what good a bill like this does for the future of the state of Iowa, and do not allow this bill to pass out of subcommittee.

02-28-2023

Brent Buhr []

As a physician, I care for everyone, including LGBT individuals. ALL patients expect their autonomy and personal needs to be respected. Patients become most frightened when this is violated.This legislation violates that needed autonomy, especially for young people. The WORST thing you can do is convince kids NOT to trust their instincts and identity. It leads to low self esteem, poor skill acquisition, depression and suicide.How many dead kids from suicide do we need to prove these care restrictions are devastating to them???Please do not pass this through committee. I dont want to have more patients and their family members die.Dr. Brent Buhr

02-28-2023

Sarah Bierstedt []

Please do not support bill HSB214. Gender affirming youth health care is a decision that should only be made by the patient, their parents/guardians, and their medical team. This health care is not take lightly. There is a lengthy process of evaluations by both mental and physical health care professionals before any gender affirming health care is prescribed. By voting no to this bill, you will not only be saving lives, you will show your trust and support of our Iowa medical professionals. By voting no to this bill, you will be a leader for other states struggling with these same decisions. Be a leader.

02-28-2023

Chad VanderLinden []

The decision to initiate any medical care should involve shared decision making between the patient or the patient's parent and the physician. The decision to initiate gender affirming treatment is a very lengthy, deliberate, and careful process involving a multidisciplinary team of therapists, psychiatrists, pediatricians, endocrinologists, as well as the childs parents. This decision is not taken lightly as some of the comments I have read tonight may suggest. Consider that all medical decisions are made while weighing the risks and benefits of the treatment vs not undergoing the treatment. True, there are risks with gender affirming care, but there are life changing benefits as well. Depression and suicide among transgender children are very real problems. This is a complex decision that should be made by parents with the guidance of experts in the field of transgender medicine, not legislators. To not even give parents of these children the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding their children's health care would be a gross overstep by Iowa lawmakers. We should rely on the opinions of professional organizations such as the American Medical Association and the Academy of Pediatrics that support giving parents the option of transgender care, not on public outcry from people who very likely neither have transgender children nor any expertise in transgender medicine. A vote of no on this bill is not saying every gender dysphoric child in Iowa should have gender affirming treatment initiated. A vote of no is merely saying the decision should be up to the childs parents under the guidance of medical experts just like all of the other medical care our children receive in Iowa. Vote NO on HSB 214.

02-28-2023

Lee Wilkins []

Vote no! If you truly want to protect children, and believe in small government, you will vote no on this bill. Protecting children means giving the people who know them best, their parents, their doctors, the full support to do what is in the best interest of the child. There are not 10 year olds getting surgery, there are not young kids suffering from any kind of irreparable harm by allowing them to be themselves. As the parent of a nonbinary, 19yearold, I am only now learning how harmful it was for them to hide their true self during their adolescence because they felt they wouldnt be accepted. I have lived in this state for 50 years and am shocked at how quickly in the past few years it has become such an intolerant state filled with a minority trying to impose their narrow beliefs on all of us.

02-28-2023

Pastor David Borger Germann []

Vote no on this bill. As a Christian pastor, my faith teaches me to see God's image in transgender people of all ages and to honor their full Godgiven agency and selfdetermination. Also, the standards of care that determine treatment of transgender youth are methodical and arduous. The guidelines for care are endorsed by every major US medical organization. And parental consent is necessary. This is about parental choice just as much as it is about bestpractice medical care.

02-28-2023

Lindsey F []

I support this bill. This is child abuse. Less than 1% of these cases are diagnosed as gender dysphoria. This is a social contagion and I cant even imagine allowing my child to do something like this, only to have them regret it once their brain is fully developed and they can understand the permanency of it all.

02-28-2023

Brenda Vestal []

Please vote no on this bill. The state has no business dictating this highly personal decision. This should be a decision made by the individual, their parents, and their doctor. This is another example of cruel overstep by government into the healthcare and private decisions of each person.

02-28-2023

Jocelyn Krueger []

Please do not support HSB 214. Transgender medical care for youth including medication to delay puberty and hormone treatment is effective, safe, and done in consultation with the patient, family, and multiple healthcare providers who know the individual youth best. Performance of surgeries on trans youth are exceedingly exceedingly rare and reports to the contrary are fearful fabrications at best all of which was laid out in testimony by medical experts at the Statehouse last week and in comments from trans Iowans and their parents since the start of the session.Waiting for access to medication until someone is 18, as this bill intends, is not being abundantly cautious until the transgender person knows for sure, it is torture. Transgender youth already wait years with multiple visits to multiple healthcare providers for medication to delay puberty or access to hormones. This bill ignores the complexity of the decisions young transgender patients and their families face, placing burdensome and harmful limits on access to care while at the same time recognizing the opposite for someone who decides to change the course of their care.The law does not apply to The treatment of any infection, injury, disease, or disorder that has been caused or exacerbated by the performance of gender transition procedures while at the same time denying treatment for the underlying cause of infections, injury, disease, or disorder caused by the lack of access to gender transition care.I am a transgender Iowa and the stress of undergoing the wrong puberty was so great that I endured devastatingly painful shingles that covered my body from my toes to my lips in indescribably itchy searing pustules for several weeks. I missed school and have a palm sized scar and permanent nerve damage on my back, and I had shingles four times as a young person. Treatment to delay puberty would have prevented this suffering. As a young trans person, I also struggled with my balance and my perception of where my body was in space. It made me lose my grip, stumble, and delay learning to ride a bike or drive a car. Within two weeks of starting hormones, all those symptoms disappeared. Ive been to too many bedside tables or waited by phones while members of my trans family were on suicide watch, and too many times it was from lack of acceptance and lack of access to medical care. Most of these friends were able to recover only once they had access to affirming healthcare, puberty blockers, or hormones.The state should not be getting in the way children, parents, and doctors in their treatment plans. We shouldnt have children suffering painfully like I did, we shouldnt let children suffer on suicide watches, when there are safe and effective treatments that delay puberty and provide hormones.The Bill also is discriminatory and singles out transgender youth while purporting to be concerned with unnecessary surgery done on children. As already stated and testified by experts, transgender surgeries are exceedingly rare on young patients. What is less rare and often done without the same rigorous consultation as transgender care, are surgeries done on youth that are not transgender. I know a lot of transgender Iowans, and not one has undergone surgery as a youth. But I know two nontransgender Iowans whose mothers paid for breast enlargement surgery at 16 and one nontransgender person that got facial feminizing surgery at 16. I know another nontransgender Iowan who got breast reduction surgery before age 18 and several nontransgender people who got hormones from their doctors before age 16. None of these people were seeing their doctors for any surgery done because of the imminent danger of death or impairment of a major bodily function and the persons receiving hormones were doing so for reasons not dissimilar to those of some transgender youth.

02-28-2023

David Michael []

Please vote no on this bill. I am a father of 4 children. While I understand the desire to protect children and keep them save this bill goes about it the wrong way. It takes rights away from parents and their children to determine the best course of medical action to take with them, in conjunction with medical advice from doctors. It also promotes a bad and misleading view of Iowa and will hurt the state's financial prospects in the long run.

02-28-2023

Jennifer Briggs []

I am in total full support of HSB 214. It is the duty of the lawmakers to impose the same laws and protections for minor aged persons that they already extend for minor aged persons for the purpose of protecting them prior to the proper brain development. With or without parental consent, a child is not legally capable of tatooong their body, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes etc. why would mutilation or elective cosmetic ideological surgery & hormonal drugs for such purpose be any different ?

02-28-2023

Ronnie Coulter []

Please do not support this bill. Many of my friends and family will have their rights to freedom of expression and choice. You will never know the feeling of body dysmorphia the way they do. They will have the basic right to express who you are on the inside taken from them. To seek psychological and medical aid to continue that process, in a safe and informed way, is never a bad thing, so why have we labeled transitioning as bad? Due to religion??? Religion should have to sway in the government, ever. Freedom FROM religion, not OF. Do not support this bill if you support a healthy, diverse society.

02-28-2023

Lindsey Ellickson []

Please vote no on this billParental choice means not taking away options for parents of trans youth.I watched the testimony from the oversight hearing on gender affirming care last week, not a single thing a doctor said raised a red flag.The doctors explained how long the process is before any minor receives puberty blockers or hormones. How parents have to consent, how input is often taken from medical doctors and therapist before a decision happens.Heck, for my own family, my kid will have been out a year and a half before they even see a clinic doctor, I dont know if theyll want to make the choice of using blockers or taking hormones one day, but that option should be ours to make, not state lawmakers.

02-28-2023

Karen Butler []

I am the mother of a child who identifies as queer nonbinary. My child was assigned female at birth, and late last year, at the age of 16, they received gender affirming top surgery. You need to understand that our journey to that day of surgery was not a rash or impulsive one. It was weeks that turned into months that turned into years of extensive conversations listening to our child and hearing their experience, and understanding their distress. It involved multiple consultations with primary care and specialty physicians as well as mental health professionals. In the end, my husband and I made what we believed to be the best choice for our child. My husband and I love our children more than anything in the world, and when we made the choice to have children, we accepted all the responsibilities that come with that, including the promise to love them, support them, provide for their needs, and protect them. You need to understand that the legislation currently under consideration is a threat to LGBTQ youth, but it is also a stunning and egregious threat to parental rights. With the onset of puberty my child realized that their developing body had begun to betray them, despite wishing to themselves for yearsliterally, as far back as they can rememberthat maybe, somehow, they would get lucky and their body would fail to develop breasts. No such luck came to my child; instead, as their body developed, they were wracked with a torment of feeling trapped inside a body that was not really theirs. They began to withdraw, physically and emotionally. They experienced severe gender dysphoria and all the emotions that come with that. They suffered from depression and anxiety and disordered eating because of the harsh disconnect between who they knew they were and how they felt in their body. In response, we did what any loving parents would do. We sought professional help. We read volumes. We had a huge learning curve. I understand that the immensity of a procedure like gender affirming top surgery is difficult for many people to understand. And I assure you this was not something we went into lightly. We talked to the professionals. We talked to our child, we listened to our child, and we trusted our child. Ultimately, we knew it was the right thing to do for our child. But in the end, in our sacred and legal duty as parents, WE made the choice.When the legislature earlier this year approved school vouchers that would allow public dollars to go to private schools they argued that parents should be the ones to decide what is best for their children. Why does this same rationale for parental rights not apply here? Why do you want to strip me of my liberty and my freedom as a parent? What makes you think you are in a better position than I to make healthcare decisions for my child? You are not. You do not know my child. You did not hold my child when they were sick with pneumonia on their first birthday; you did not drive them to the hospital when they had appendicitis and needed surgery; you were not there to beg them to keep living and promise them that things would get better. My husband and I were, and we are in the best position to help make informed decisions about our childs health and wellbeing in consultation with their healthcare professionals who follow the peerreviewed science and evidencebased best practices that have been adopted around the globe. I want you to understand that the gender affirming surgery my child received was medically necessary potentially lifesaving care. Make no mistake: this legislation is an assault on parental rights and strips Iowa families of our liberty and freedom to make decisions about our childrens healthcare needs. You also need to know that you cause harm to vulnerable youth even by the very act of proposing this misguided legislation; it says to them they are not worthy; that who they are is not valid; that there is something wrong with them for the very way they experience who they are in the world. I firmly reject that notion and want our LGBTQ youth to know they are not alone, their feelings are valid, and they deserve to receive the healthcare they need, and I we will continue to fight for them. Please vote NO on HSF 214.

02-28-2023

Amy Hospodarsky []

Current standards of care guidelines are endorsed by every major US medical organization. These are professionals. No care is given without consent of parents. Ever. This is a matter of parental choice something the Iowa Legislature claims to care about most. Give the parents who know their kids best, and the doctors who follow evidence based guidelines the ability to do what is best for their children.

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. If parents are in support of their children, lawmakers should but the hell out.Vote no on this backward bill.

02-28-2023

Lora Oredson []

Don't advocate for the making of this bill. Taking away the medical care of anyone is unethical and immoral. It doesn't matter that they're trans or just trying to stay youthful for a bit longer, we've had nothing to do with you. All this bill will do is skyrocket the amount of youth suicides, something that is very bad on many levels and I'm pretty sure you don't actually want. The people who support this bill aren't thinking of the consequences and are just trying to get their hateful ideologies around. It's fine to think how you think, but passing laws solely based on personal religious beliefs is something that should be of the past by now.

02-28-2023

Dana Oredson []

02-28-2023

Rick Dobyns []

I am an Iowa family doctor who has practiced in Lone Tree, Sigourney, Coralville and Iowa City for thirty years. The parents and guardians of my young patients struggling with gender preference issues bear the weight of their child's pain with resolve and seriousness. When I offer them all options they understand the burden of each option yet always make a decision based on love for their child. Please modify HSB to allow a parent/guardian to choose for their child the full range of modern, evidencebased transgender medical care.

02-28-2023

Jane Robinette []

Please oppose HSB 214. This isn't about parental rights. Parental consent is already required for this medical treatment of minors. It doesn't impact cisgender youth. So it seems directly targeted at a group of vulnerable youth, supported by their parents, who are seeking medical treatment from caring medical professionals. The bill also bullies doctors with threats of discipline and civil actions when all they are doing is trying to adhere to their professional ethics and duty to their patients. From your seat in the legislature, you have decided with a broad brush what medical treatment is appropriate without talking to the patient or their parents, without consulting the physician, without consulting a psychologist, without consulting a social workerwithout any individual analysis at all. This goes against medical ethics and best medical practices. This legislation is one more example of an ideological belief, part of a national movement to deny the existence and the worth and the wellbeing of a targeted group of vulnerable individuals. Please oppose this bill, and keep medical decisions between doctors and their patients where it should be.

02-28-2023

Megan Jones []

I strongly oppose this bill. Gender supportive care has been proven to save lives and is considered best practice by the Center for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychological Association. If this bill were to become law, it would make Iowa an unsafe place for LGBTQ youth, such as my own child, to live. Please do not support this bill moving forward.

02-28-2023

Anne Tedore []

This is a Healthcare concern between doctors and families. The future of Iowa is at stake here. Young families will move out of Iowa and young professionals will not make Iowa their home if we continue to pass regressive laws that oppose progress.

02-28-2023

Cory Hutchinson-Reuss []

Vote no. Medical care for transgender youth is given with parental consent, in conversation with the young person, parent or guardian, and medical provider. They should be able to continue determining what care is best. Withholding access to medical care will do harm.

02-28-2023

Chantal Rozmus []

My name is Dr. Chantal Rozmus and I am months away from completing my child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship. During both my adult and child and adolescent training, I have advocated strongly on behalf of my patients who experience gender dysphoria. I ask that you vote NO on HSB 214, and would like to explain why. As child and adolescent psychiatrists, we work on inpatient units. The goal of the inpatient unit is to stabilize individuals who are an acute danger to themselves or others. Most of the time, this means keeping someone safe because they are suicidal and want to take their own life. The number of children we admit to our unit who have suicidal thoughts as a result of gender dysphoria is heartbreaking. While we can stabilize them, we unfortunately know that they will eventually discharge back home into an environment that is often unsafe. A YES vote on HSB 214 makes the entire state of Iowa an unsafe environment. Governor Reynolds has stressed her support of Mental Health in the state of Iowa. Recently this has been in the form of adding an adult psychiatry residency program with training specifically in the area of community mental health. Statistics show that people practice where they do residency, however I cannot stress enough that if the state you practice in goes directly against the recommendations made by multiple professional organizations (American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, and American Psychiatry Association), you will be driving those individuals away from a state that is in DIRE need of mental health professionals. In addition, I am a firm believer that you cannot pick and choose what mental health care topics you want to fight for. Statistically speaking, transgender youth are at higher risk for attempting suicide, dying by suicide, substance use disorders, and homelessness. These are all directly related to mental health care and wellbeing of the children of Iowa. To say that you are an advocate for mental healthcare, and go DIRECTLY against the recommendations of professional organizations is nothing short of hypocrisy. A YES vote on HSB 214 does not protect Iowa's gender nonconforming or transgender youth; it directly places them at higher risk of harm. It places them at a higher suicide risk. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey completed by GLSN in 2021, transgender students were more likely to report violence and victimization, substance use, and suicidal ideation and attempts. The data collected in the YRBS was from 19 different sites and included individuals from different populations (urban vs rural), different races, different socioeconomic status, and different states. Finally, I would like to outline the role that our government plays in regards to hatred towards those who belong to the LGBTQ+ community, including gender nonconforming and transgender individuals. The United States has seen a steady decline in the rate of violence and victimization towards LGBTQ+ individuals over time. This has likely been related to a greater acceptance of individuals over time who belong to this population. In 2016, an election year, we saw a president take office who spewed hatred towards LGBTQ+ individuals. That same year, we witnessed the horror that was the Pulse Night Club shooting. When our government takes a position opposing the care of a group of people, hatred becomes contagious. In 2016, we also saw the first increase in all forms of violence/victimization towards LGBTQ individuals in over 10 years. This included verbal harassment, physical harassment, and physical assault. Iowa will remain at the bottom of the list when it comes to mental healthcare, specifically child and adolescent mental health care, if HSB 214 is passed. You have the opportunity to protect children who are already at high risk of victimization, suicide, and substance use with a vote of "No".

02-28-2023

Sheila Geneser []

I strongly oppose HSB 214. Transgender youth are at great risk for depression, selfharm, and suicidal ideation, and it is so important that we work to provide our transgender youth with the services they need to be happy and healthy. By blocking gender affirming care, I feel that we are turning our backs on the youth of Iowa. For minors, gender affirming care is not provided without parental involvement and consent. Please, let parents and healthcare providers continue to work together to provide the needed care for our transgender youth. As a parent of two young children, I want to know that I will have access to this care for my own children should we ever need it in the future. Please protect the freedom of parents and families to obtain the evidencebased care that they need for their children!

02-28-2023

Jenna Paternostro []

Please vote NO on this harmful bill. I am a child psychologist and work with many transgender and gender diverse youth. Access to genderaffirming medical intervention is wellestablished as an effective and lifesaving intervention for the treatment of gender dysphoria in youth. Medical care for transgender/gender diverse youth is medically necessary and recognized as such by all of the major medical associations: the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association as well as many others. If this bill passes, transgender youth will suffer. Transgender youth experience significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide as is. When their identity is not seen or validated, these rates will increase. Iowa does not have the support or mental health system to support the inevitable destruction this bill will cause. Please do not make the lives of youth even harder than it already is. DO NOT PASS THIS BILL.

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

Amy Kraber []

I am opposed to HSB 214. It is common sense to me that we would not limit a parents right to take care of their child under the guidance of a physician and other care providers who are all following standards of care practices from medical organizations across the USA. Children will be harmed with the passage of this bill.

02-28-2023

Xiaoxi Yang []

Please vote no in this bill. As a psychiatrist who provides care to transgender and/or gender nonconforming patients, I see first hand the benefit of gender affirming treatments for these patients. Moreover, there is a preponderance of medical evidence that gender affirming care decreases gender dysphoria, and improves the mental health in these young people and adults. For some individuals, gender affirming care includes support during social transition without medications, but for other individuals care includes medication treatments/interventions as well. Individuals who pursue medication treatment currently undergo an extensive and rigorous evaluation process, in which parents and legal guardians are heavily involved. Removing access to this care would put gender conforming youth and adults at much higher risk of serious mental health concerns, as well as help provide them with the support necessary to feel accepted and valued. It is vital for trans youth and their family to continue having access the option of evidence based care should this be something they wish to pursue.

02-28-2023

Colleen Reynolds []

Please, do not support this bill.Transgender healthcare for children is a crucial aspect of ensuring that every child can live a healthy, happy, and fulfilling life. Medical care for transgender children is a necessary and lifesaving intervention, and it is essential to recognize the importance of providing this care to young people.One of the most significant benefits of transgender healthcare for children is that it can help alleviate the intense psychological distress that many transgender young people experience. Transgender children often suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues related to their gender identity. Access to healthcare that addresses their gender identity can provide them with the necessary support to feel accepted and valued. This can lead to improved mental health outcomes and help prevent selfharm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts.No one is saying that all children who say they are transgender need to transition. That is a choice between the Child, The Family, and Their Medical/Mental Healthcare teams. We only request access. Access which is supported by a wealth of scientific backing.Minors who receive gender affirming care do so under the guidance of medical professionals with the consent of their parents. Restricting access to life saving care does not and will never protect trans youth who face anxiety depression due to gender dysphoria and public prejudice. Access to proper medical care for trans youth who struggle to feel loved and accepted for who they are. Trans youth are more likely to face homelessness, selfharm and suicide. This bill will NOT protect our children from the shame and hopelessness of not being about to live full and happy lives as who they truly are. Gender affirming care decreases depression, anxiety, and suicide attempts. It is a medical necessity, like providing insulin to a person with diabetes. Proper care does not solely refer to medical operation (most trans youth under 18 do not undergo affirming surgery). Gender affirming care encompasses a range of social, psychological, behavioral, and medical interventions designed to support and affirm an individuals gender identity when it conflicts with the gender they were assigned at birth. The interventions help transgender people align various aspects of their lives emotional, interpersonal, and biological with their gender identity. Access to do so is a matter of life and death. Vote no.

02-28-2023

Ellie Alberhasky []

Please vote no on HSB 214 and give families the opportunity to make decisions for and with their children. You have shown this to be a top value in your governing and if that is so this bill should not be an exception. Parents and guardians have full access and authority in the medical care that this bill addresses and that decision is best made in the confidence and knowledge of families and medical providers.

02-28-2023

Lisa Petrie []

I am OPPOSED to HSB 214. This is a massive overreach on the part of legislators supporting this bill. Nothing should stand in the way of a persons right to access the medical care they need. This will be very harmful to our most vulnerable youth. Please vote NO on this bill.

02-28-2023

Talia Meidlinger []

This bill will detrimentally impact the well being and mental health of trans youth. In the midst of an ongoing mental health crisis these attacks on trans youth and efforts to limit their ability to receive gender affirming and developmentally appropriate care will, no doubt, increase the already high prevalence of suicidal ideation, isolation, and feelings of not belonging. Please do not vote in favor of this bill. Young people's lives and futures depend on their ability to be seen, heard, and supported in ways that align with there gender identities.

02-28-2023

Merit Bickner []

I'm a lifelong Iowa resident who has made working with youth my career. I'm also the parent of three teenage children. In my decades of working with young people, I have met many young transgender people who lead normal, happy, involved lives when they are met with acceptance and care from their friends and family. Many of these children are indistinguishable from their peers who aren't transgender, and like all the things you would expect a little girl or boy to like. As they've grown older, I've seen them receive appropriate medical care as teenagers and grow into healthy and happy young transgender men and women. I've also worried for young transgender people whose families are unwilling to support them, and have seen these young people lead painful lives as they struggle to be seen and accepted for who they are.The parents of trans children aren't trying to experiment or operate on young children. They are trying to support their children by allowing them to transition socially (which can involve haircuts, clothes, and new names) and to follow their lead by seeking medical treatment in their teenage years. There are not and there will not be surgeries or medical interventions for very young children.In my experience as a parent and educator, I've seen that the best thing we can do to raise healthy children is, across the board, to accept and support them for who they are. No child should suffer from what is, essentially, a birth defect when there are a proveneffective medical interventions.

02-28-2023

Angela Regas []

I do not support this bill. I want parents, youth, and their doctors to be able to make the choices for themselves. Trans youth who receive genderaffirming health care are overwhelmingly happier and healthier.

02-28-2023

Kristen Erickson []

I'm appalled that this is what Iowa has become in the 25 years since I moved here: a national example of intolerant hate and legislation designed to win political points at the literal expense of Iowans' lives. Who exactly benefits from this legislation? Not the transgender children who are in need of genderaffirming medical care. Those children have parents, medical professionals, social workers, psychologists, the respected medical community, and loving community members already working to protect them and give them the care that they need. Who are you as legislators to decide that those parents, those physicians, those therapists, that medical community know less than you about the right way to help these children? Here's who benefits from this legislation: politicians who want to align with a nationallevel club that scores political points by marginalizing and harming transgender people. Thats it. Some politicians get reelected or elevated to new positions, and in exchange we tell Iowa children that their true selves are worthless, and punish the parents and physicians who seek to show them that they are valued. Appalling.

02-28-2023

Anna Gudenkauf []

Please vote NO on HSB 214. As a social worker that works with LGBTQ youth, I see the positive, lifechanging effects that gender affirming care has. To prevent this option to youth is to increase the levels of gender dysphoria, depression, and suicidality. These decisions should be made between a family and their healthcare providers, not the state. The trans community deserves our love and support, not further oppression.

02-28-2023

Denise Hagerla []

As a behavioral health practitioner that has been working with the transgender and gender expansive community in this state for the past 15 years, I am angered and disheartened that the Iowa legislature would even consider this legislation. This bill is based on misperceptions of exactly how persons under the age of 18 can even access gender affirming care and perpetuates the perverse belief that you can legislate away peoples existence: The parents and guardians of these young people seeking gender affirming care has and will remain in control of whether or not these life saving interventions can even be accessed only AFTER behavioral health assessments and the consultation of a medical professional deem that it is indicated and IMPERATIVE for a young persons quality of life.Please DO NOT make my home state of Iowa an even more hostile place for LGBTQIA+ children and families to live. This legislation is unnecessary, cruel, and bad for all of us. It makes our state a difficult place to retain quality healthcare and behavioral healthcare practitioners with these kinds of overreaching, morally policing laws based on nothing but fear and misunderstanding.

02-28-2023

Michelle Meidlinger []

This shouldnt be up for debate. This is between parents and their care providers. As a therapist who works with trans kids, Ive seen affirming healthcare make all the difference in the lives of young trans people. Cutting off kids from healthcare is not helping them, its hurting them.

02-28-2023

Murphy Bleymeyer []

Please vote NO to this bill. This is direct attack on our trans youth. These are medical decisions that should be up to the child and their families, no one else. Allowing youth access to these procedures can be life saving and they should feel protected by their state legislation.

02-28-2023

Debra Young []

I vehemently oppose this and any antitrans legislation currently being considered by the Iowa legislature. In a state that prides itself on the value of individual choice, this legislation is the very antithesis of that value. This is government overreach to an extreme. Please vote no on HSB 214. Thank you.

02-28-2023

Zoë Woodworth []

Please do not support this bill. There are so many individuals who did not make it to adulthood because genderaffirming care was not available to them; for whom the psychological toll of dysphoria and bullying was unendurable. Genderaffirming care is a personal choice that does not harm anyone and, indeed, is lifeaffirming and lifesaving for recipients.

02-28-2023

Cass SlaterScott []

Vote no to the dumb bill. If you pass this you are not protecting young people you will be contributing to the death of more young people. Stop instilling fear into people by spreading lies about what gender affirming care is.

02-28-2023

Anonymous Anonymous []

Please support the passage of this bill. Research I dictates a person's brain isn't fully developed until age 25. We must protect ur children from making permanent life altering medical decisions during the time they are still learning about themselves and their bodies. The medical community stands to profit greatly from these surgeries and have an impressionable impact on the children. They stand to profit a great deal.Protect the kids!

02-28-2023

Ellen Daly []

VOTE NO This bill is targeting vulnerable kids who need affirming health care. It will be causing major harm to many families and children if gender affirming health care is restricted. Research undeniably supports gender affirming care. Limiting health care for anyone is discriminatory and unethical.

02-28-2023

Katrina Anderson []

Good day to all of you. HSB208, SF335, SSB1197, & HSB214 are not representative of the kind of world ahead of us. Please vote these bills down. These are the backwardaiming attempts of scared small minded individuals who are trying to restore a type of society that didn't make a place at the table for everyone. Progressive society allows for diversity in its ranks. Why do legislators want to spend precious energy, time, and resources to make laws regarding school bathrooms? For gender conversations with trusted educators? To censor information about lifestyle choices of large swarths of our population? The cat is out of the bag about the spectrum of sexuality and gender. It is not going back in. Just like the women protesting hijab in Iran, society feels the freedom of love and acceptance. We just won't go back to fearful, hateful, Christian dominance. We can't go back. It doesn't work that way. Please, let's move forward and focus our efforts on organic and biodiverse farming, renewable energy, clean water, sound infrastructure, cultural advancement, money for the arts, preserving historic structures. Let's stop wasting our time trying to grab on to a flawed past.

02-28-2023

Brooke Dearborn []

I oppose this bill, which assumes that young people, their guardians, and their care team do not know how to decide what is best for them on an individual basis. We should trust people to know themselves best, and trust professionals to do their job as they are trained to do. Gender affirming care is lifesaving care!

02-28-2023

Katrina Anderson []

Additionally this issue should be between a family and their doctor. These comments about the specifics of the procedures and the safety and security of the family are not reasons to make this into legislation. When a young person wants to explore gender affirming surgery, this should be taken on a case by case basis with their healthcare provider. We're acting like everyone is going to line up tomorrow to turn their penises into vaginas, and I'm sorry, that's just not going to happen.

02-28-2023

Kate Doolittle []

Vote NO to this bill! Genderaffirming care is VITAL to protecting the mental and physical wellbeing of trans youth. Politicians are NOT the experts on this topic; Medical professionals know that genderaffirming care is medically necessary and can be lifesaving. This bill is not about "protecting" youth, it's about stripping rights from trans people. VOTE NO!

02-28-2023

Alyssa Jakowchuk []

Please do not take decisions away from parents and doctors, decisions that save lives. Children deserve to live their authentic lives. This bill is a terrible overstep and ignorant use of time to turn hatred towards innocent children. Let kids be who they are, who they really are.

02-28-2023

Emily Salmonson []

I am a mother, any decision having to do with my child, their body and their mental wellbeing is for our family alone. Acrosstheboard, I believe everyone feels that they know their child more than their government knows their child. By voting no, you will strengthen and empower Iowa families and children. Thank you for voting NO.

02-28-2023

Shelly Adams []

Vote NO on this legislation. Gender dysphoria is REAL. If you have any empathy whatsoever, put yourself in their shoes. Living a life NOT as you wish to live is debilitating and depressing, which is why so many Transpeople complete suicide. If you vote yes, you are ignoring human beings who deserve to live a life of happiness and wellbeing.Please do not make decisions based on your biases. Let the parents and children decide with their physicians. They are not making these choices lightly, as you would be doing by voting yes. Do not denigrate this population by ignoring them and demeaning their status as human beings. KNOWLEDGE is power. Educate yourself, speak to the families. It's their choice, not yours. And shame on the people who choose to comment here anonymously. Cowards!

02-28-2023

Dustin Eubanks []

Please vote NO on this bill. At best it is a kneejerk reaction to a topic poorly understood in general (gender); at worst, it is an outright attack on Iowans who live next door to us, attend school with us, and work with us, and it is unclear to me how earnestly anyone who authored, coauthored, or supported this bill has listened to transgender individuals and families. Most of the arguments against this bill have been wellstated by others below, so I will not continue on.I do just want to ask those who support the billhonestly, without malicewhat are you so afraid of? For those embracing the narrative of adulthood regret, please do some further reading into:prevalence of re/detransitioning (very low): https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/150/2/e2021056082/186992/GenderIdentity5YearsAfterSocialTransition?autologincheck=redirectedprevalence of regretting transition (very low): https://journals.lww.com/prsgo/fulltext/2021/03000/regretaftergenderaffirmationsurgerya.22.aspx

02-28-2023

Gabriela F []

PLEASE VOTE NO ON HSB 214. PLEASE STOP these harmful attacks on our trans children. You want to ban books, you want to ban scientifically accurate education, you want to ban sports for trans kids, you want to kick out of class trans kids, and then you say you will work to improve mental health in Iowa and lower high rates of suicide. If you really want to do your job as you should be doing it, STOP harming Iowans and playing politics with their reproductive and sexual health care. People's lives are not part of your political game. VOTE NO ON HSB 214!

02-28-2023

Kylie Buddin []

Please vote no. I understand that this is a tough issue to understand from the outside. As someone who works with young people, I have seen first hand the psychological effects of denial of gender affirming care can have. I choose to believe that if you oppose gender affirming care, you are coming from a place of caring and love. However, all of the research shows that denial of care has the exact opposite effect you are expecting. Denial of this care can put a young person at immensely greater risk of suicide and self harm. These young people know who they are and we need to listen to them. If we really stand by the motto of our State "Our liberties we prize, and our rights we maintain." then we cannot strip these young people of their liberties.

02-28-2023

Adina Levitt []

Vote NO on HSB 214. As a social work graduate student and Mobile Crisis worker, I support trans adults with suicide ideation. Allowing families to make their own choices about gender transitioning procedures will allow youth to grow up feeling more comfortable that their outside body matches their gender identify within, preventing much anguish in their adulthood. Please prioritize the mental health of trans youth by voting NO on this bill.

02-28-2023

Walt Heyer [Sex Change Regret.com]

From: Walt Heyer Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2023Subject: In support of HSB 214 Why it should be enacted, from my experience as a transgender female Dear Iowa Legislators,No child should be locked into a trans life. I support the Iowa HSB 214. Children in Iowa should be protected. Iowa is considering measure HSB 214 to appropriately outlaw lifealtering, irreversible, chemical or surgical interventions on children. I have been all the way down that path. And Ive come back to warn others. My grandmother dressed me as a girl when I was 4, 5, and 6 years old. I was far too young to comprehend the longterm consequences of being encouraged to crossdress at such a young age, much less fight back. In my childs mind, it felt good to be the center of her attention. Now I call what grandma did to me child abuse because her grooming of me as a female negatively affected my entire life. In adulthood, I was diagnosed with gender dysphoria and underwent unnecessary crossgender hormone therapy and surgical gender change. I lived eight years as a woman and tried my best to make it work, but after surgery I still had gender dysphoria. Even worse, I was suicidal. Before giving me hormones and surgery, my medical providers should have helped me explore the possible psychological roots of my desire to escape into a female persona, but none did. I finally received proper psychotherapy years after surgery which resolved my gender dysphoria, but I am left with a body permanently mutilated.Im not the only one whose life was hurt by the rush to change gender. I have heard from so many trans adults who ask me for advice in going back to their birth sex that I compiled emails from 30 of them, along with the latest research, into a book, Trans Life Survivors. Several people in the book transitioned in their teens, but when they hit their twenties, their feelings of gender dysphoria changed. They grew out of it, but only after having made irreversible changes to their bodies, which destroyed their ability to have children, and losing years of their life to an alternate identity. Should the medical field be free to push kids down a path that leads to physical destruction and emotional agony? Of course not. Children do not have the capacity or mental maturity to consent to decisions with lifelong consequences. And yet they are so easy to manipulate that they have become soft targets in todays raging political and cultural fight over what it means to be human. The problem with basing a diagnosis and irreversible treatment on childrens feelings, no matter how sincerely held, is that feelings can change.HSB 214 protects vulnerable children from treatments that cause lifelong harm by prohibiting medical or surgical treatments to affirm gender identity in transgender youth under age 18. A U.K. high court in December 2020 ruled against the Tavistock clinic, the NHS sole gender clinic, in favor of a detransitioner who said she was harmed by puberty blockers and crosssex hormones prescribed to her when she was a teenager. The judges ruled that children lack the maturity to give informed consent to the experimental treatments that alter the body. In their ruling, the judges said the clinics treatment of children with puberty blockers and crosssex hormones is experimental, not established science. The ruling is available here: https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/rontheapplicationofquincybellandavtavistockandportmannhstrustandothers/Access to quality, scientifically proven care is critical. Unfortunately, delaying puberty for healthy adolescents, giving crosssex hormones or surgically removing healthy body parts is not scientifically proven care and the harms are welldocumented. Puberty is not a diseaseit is the answer.People peddling lifealtering, irreversible interventionsfor profitshould, at least, wait until a person has the capacity to understand the risks and consequences and to give informed consent. This is particularly important, given what we know about the changing nature of gender dysphoria in children. When children experience sex confusion, it usually does not last. Studies show most children who identify as other than their biological sex naturally grow out of it as they go through puberty, unless they are socially locked into an oppositesex identity and puberty is blocked. A striking 60 to 90 percent of kids who are not reinforced in this desire or put on puberty blockers abandon a trans identity by adulthood. No child should be locked into a trans life. That is not medical care. Its child abuse.Walt Heyer, Durham, North Carolina, is an accomplished author and public speaker. Through his website, SexChangeRegret.com, Heyer raises public awareness about the incidence of regret and the tragic consequences suffered as a result of unnecessary sex change surgery.

02-28-2023

Kristine Davis []

I am opposed to legislating these decisions that should be between patients and their doctors, with the individual patient's situation in mind. Government should not insert itself into medical decisions where legislators have no expertise.

02-28-2023

Laura Carlson [Parent]

Please vote yes on HSB 214. Minors are at risk in gender "affirming" medical procedures. Studies are just releasing concrete evidence regarding use of sterilization hormones and non reversable surgeries. "Both testosterone and estrogen are known to have wideranging effects in ones body, including boosting the clotting activity of blood. This has raised concerns that receiving hormone replacements might increase the risk of serious cardiac events.In the latest study shedding light on those concerns, researchers at Mercy Catholic Medical Center in Darby, Pennsylvania, reported that patients who had taken hormone replacements are nearly seven times more likely to suffer an ischemic strokea blockage in a vessel supplying blood to the brainthan those who had never received the treatment.A new study indicates people with gender dysphoria receiving socalled gender affirmation hormone replacement therapy are significantly more prone to stroke, heart attack, and blood clots.Hormone replacement therapy usually involves gender dysphoria patients taking either testosterone or estrogen. It has seen growing popularity over recent years among American teenagers and young adults who identify as transgender and wish to have their body more closely resemble their preferred gender. Compared with their nonhormone treated counterparts, hormonetreated patients were also found to be nearly six times more likely to suffer myocardial infarction, the most serious type of heart attack. They also saw nearly five times the risk of pulmonary embolism, a blockage in an artery in the lung.Dr. Ibrahim Ahmed, the studys lead author and resident at Mercy, said those who wish to undergo a transition should be aware that the therapy is not a riskfree endeavor.Epoch Times 2/28/23We don't allow minors to smoke, drink or buy weapons. How can we allow minors to make medical, lifetime decisions and the child as adult may wish to reverse? Please vote no for minors to make this decision.

02-28-2023

Anya Schafer Van Houtte []

First off no one is suggesting permanent, surgical procedures for minors. Period. We are talking about kids rights, kids safety, and kids being supported unconditionally. Vote no and please read all these comments from parents of the children this involves, teachers, and social workers. Fears of others shall not keep our children prisoners

02-28-2023

Cathy Coover []

Transgender youth and adults, and the medical providers that care for them, do not support this bill. Our politicians should listen to them. Gender affirming care reduces the risk of suicide, and the percentage of people who regret having taken puberty blockers or hormones is very very low. Lower than most other medical interventions. Some of the people commenting on favor of this bill have ideas and worries that are really disconnected from reality, please listen to the people this bill will actually affect.

02-28-2023

Ashley L []

As the parent of a transgender child I strongly disagree with this. Trans childrens lives are at risk. My child has been happier and healthier since he was able to start medically transitioning as well as socially. If this is passed he would no longer be able to access the care he needs and would be at increased risk for mental health issues. These situations should be between a doctor and the child. Not the state! As my childs parent I know what is best for him.

02-28-2023

Katie Imborek []

Please vote NO on HSB214. I am a board certified, Iowa licensed family physician with over ten years of experience caring for transgender patients both youth and adults. As a member of a multidisciplinary care team, I follow methodical and well documented processes outlined by wellestablished standards of care that are endorsed and cited as authoritative by major US medical associations including but not limited to the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Psychiatric Association, the Endocrine Society, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. No one is rushed through this process. Minors are not provided care without parental support. Genital surgeries are not being performed on minors. Adolescents who have persistent and consistent gender dysphoria, diagnosed by a mental health professional, in collaboration with a care team that usually includes their local PCP and always includes their parents or guardians, are provided with gender affirming care because the evidence shows it not only helps, but can be lifesaving. My extensive experience in caring for transgender youth aligns with this ever growing and already decades old body of scientific evidence. This proposed bill allows transgender youth 180 days to "wean off" of the medical care that is treating their gender dysphoria the intense distress associated with the misalignment of their experienced or expressed gender and their assigned sex at birth which is further associated with clinically significant impairment in social, school, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. This impairment can manifest as school avoidance, anxiety, depression, substance use, and suicidal or selfharm ideation. Youth who have already started gender affirming treatment will experience a multitude of unwanted and potentially harmful effects if these medications are stopped: Youth on puberty suppressive medications who have paused puberty will need to stop these medications. Puberty will then resume which means they will develop secondary sex characteristics that increase their gender dysphoria and associated profound distress that has been shown to lead to impairment in function (school avoidance, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts). o Transgender girls (assigned sex at birth male) will develop a deeper voice, an Adams apple, facial hair, body hair all things that cannot be undone without surgical intervention. Even if they start hormones at the age of 18. o Transgender boys (assigned sex at birth female) will develop breasts, restart their menses, and experience fat redistribution in a more feminine shape (wider hips, thighs, buttocks). Breast development cannot be undone without surgical intervention. Even if they start hormones at the age of 18. Youth on cross sex hormones will need to stop these medications. Cross sex hormones suppresses the production of endogenous hormones and without it they will experience the following that will increase their gender dysphoria and associated profound distress that has been shown to lead to impairment in function:o Transgender girls (assigned sex at birth female) who have been on estradiol will now have estradiol levels decrease to almost zero. They will have testosterone levels increase from a suppressed state of 40 ng/dL to levels averaging 500+ ng/dL. They will experience resumption of spontaneous and morning erections. They will experience facial and body hair growing at a faster pace than when they were on feminizing hormones. The breast development and body fat redistribution (affecting face, hips/thighs/buttocks) will cease. o Transgender boys (assigned sex at birth male) who have been on testosterone will now have testosterone levels decrease to almost zero. They will have estradiol levels increase from a suppressed state of 40 to levels averaging 200+. They will experience resumption of monthly menses, decrease in muscle mass and more masculine body shape (fat will redistribute around their hips/thighs/buttocks/breasts). The voice deepening and facial/body hair development they were experiencing will cease. It is important to remember that some of these youth have been attending school and NO ONE KNOWS they are transgender because of the medications they are using. They are passing as cisgender youth and are thriving. When these medications are stopped, their bodies will change in ways that they will likely no longer be able to pass in their peer groups. In addition to suffering the anxiety and mental anguish associated with their bodies changing in ways that feel wrong to them, they will also be forced to navigate difficult social situations that are unfortunately often associated with bullying and lack of support. Finally, this bill is contrary to the very premise of parental choice. Transgender minors are not deciding they want gender affirming medical care. The people in their lives who know them best their parents or legal guardians are the ones deciding and consenting to providing gender affirming medical care. Give parents the freedom and liberty to collaborate with doctors who follow evidence based guidelines to do what is in the best interest of their children. Vote NO on this harmful bill.

02-28-2023

Jessie Ryan []

Vote no to this bill. If you truly want to protect the children, do that by protecting their mental health and the freedom to be who are they are, not who you think they should be. Minors are not undergoing these procedures without extensive consultation, education, and consent. This bill is ignorant and blatantly ignores the freedoms of a group of people and openly supports those who are against them.

02-28-2023

Kelli Sharpe []

Please vote no on HSB 214. It's purpose is to stigmatize and hurt trans children, and I can't imagine a more vulnerable group of people. The decision to transition should be between a child, their parents, and their physician.

02-28-2023

Gabriel Rudolph [The Arc of East Central Iowa]

Every time a law is considered that primarily impacts children, my first thought is "will this cause more kids to commit suicide?" and with this one, the answer is yes. So what exactly are we trying to prevent that is worth it?

02-28-2023

Tara Marsh []

To the legislative members of the Iowa House of Representatives: I am writing to oppose HSB 214, as a lifelong Iowa, as an LGBTQ+ ally, and as a mother. Please vote no. I am unclear as to what ultimately this bill is intending to do beyond causing extensive harm to an already vulnerable population, trans youth. I honor that we all want to protect kids; we agree on the premise. Where we diverge is how best to protect kids; what that looks like for individuals and their families will look different depending on experiences and context. We must bring compassion, humility, and curiosity to extremely important questions such as: how do we reduce harm in a diversity of situations? How do we support families going through these specific experiences? What do the families and children themselves say they need? We have these answers when it comes to trans youth and their families. As it stands today, gender affirming healthcare is done with the consent of parents/guardians and in close coordination and support of experienced, ethical, knowledgeable healthcare providers. Gender affirming care is a long and arduous process that follows guidelines supported by major US medical organizations such as the AMA, AAP, APA, AAFP. The benefits to providing trans care are very real, as supported by datadriven studies (citation provided below). These benefits include: increased life satisfaction, decreased depression, decreased anxiety, and decreased suicidal ideation. The risks to denying trans care are also very real, including heartbreaking statistics of death by suicide in this extremely vulnerable population. There is not a neutral action here. If we all collectively truly care about protecting kids, as I genuinely believe we all do, then please vote no on this bill. Citation: https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2206297

02-28-2023

Kats Mendoza []

Vote NO on this bill that seeks to take the right to make important health care decisions away from children and their families. These decisions should be made by the patient, their guardians, and their team of caring and experienced physicians, NOT by the government.

02-28-2023

Lydia Somers []

I was going to provide sources to the various studies showing how supporting trans children leads to better outcomes for them, lower risk of suicide, depression, etc, but the fact of the matter is that most people will discount evidence if it does not support their "side" of an issue. So instead, I will request that each committee member ask themselves the following questions: What do you know about the current requirements to begin transitioning? Do you know how many medical professionals are involved, and from which specialties? How long does the process take? If you believe doctors are performing gender reassignment surgeries on children at the drop of a hat, what was the source this belief? Lastly, have you spoken with any trans people about their experiences? It's okay for us as humans to admit when we don't have information. If we never admitted that we don't know something, we would never seek out knowledge, and our society would stagnate. Therefore, I am asking you to consider the questions above honestly, and, if you don't have all the information, please leave medical decisions with families and their doctors by voting NO on HSB 214!

02-28-2023

Ruth Book []

02-28-2023

Hailey Franzen []

Please vote no to HSB 214. Low level interventions, such as puberty blockers for adolescents who are experiencing a large amount of dysmorphia, are essential to the wellbeing of the young persons experiencing it. Such interventions do not cause irreversible damage. Further, to obtain gender affirming care, a minor already needs to have parental consent, doctor consent, and sometimes consent of a mental health professional. There are already "safety" measures in place for youth who need this level of care.With the passage of this bill will come an increase of suicidality, anxiety, and depression in young trans/nonbinary individuals. Nationally, we are already experiencing a youth mental health crisis, bills like this one will only further plague the overworked system. LGBTQIA+ youth are already a category of youth at the highest risk of anxiety, depression, and sucidality largely due to lack of support within the systems around them.Again, I urge you to vote no.

02-28-2023

Oliver Bardwell [Iowans 4 Freedom]

We can no longer allow our minor children to be mutilated here in Iowa during one of the most uncertain times in their lives. This is an excerpt from the story a "detransitioner" shared. https://www.detransvoices.org/detransstoryrachel/"The doctor never told me about health problems like increased risk of heart disease, stroke, or osteoporosis. Nevertheless, I believed my doctor when she told me that the worst to come was balding and body hair. Presently, theres still not much information about the effects of taking crosssex hormones and longterm health. Eventually, the health issues popped up like (bleeping) daisies. I hurt all over, I was tired all the time, I got jaundice and urinated blood. I had a series of three trans ischemic attacks (otherwise called mini strokes), kidney infections, and liver failure. This was the first indicator to me that something was truly wrong." Please Vote Yes on this bill and pass it through to Committee. Protect Iowa's youth.

02-28-2023

V Fixmer-Oraiz []

I implore you to vote no on this bill. These are medical decisions made between doctors and families. Children need healthcare for the full depth and breadth of their lives, something they should only have to discuss with their families and doctors to get the care they need. Children should have rights to care for their bodies just like every citizen in this country. This is an over reach of government power and shifts the conversation away from addressing REAL ISSUES, like affordable housing, child hunger, and domestic violence. Stop punishing and shaming transgender children and their families. We are Iowans and deserve dignity and respect.

02-28-2023

Kate Klefstad []

Please vote NO on this bill. This bill RESTRICTS PARENT CHOICE in highly personal health care decisions for their children. Health care providers follow evidencebased standards of care to guide treatment for transgender youth. Guidelines are endorsed by every major US medical organization. The process to obtain genderaffirming care is methodical and lengthy, and requires parental consent every step of the way.This is a matter of parental choice. No care is provided to a minor without parental consent EVER. Legislators stepping in to remove parental choice and parental access to care for their children is governmental overreach.

02-28-2023

Jonathan Sims []

I oppose this bill. There is already an established process in place that ensures young people are ready for the treatments they do receive. Irreversible gender surgeries are not performed on minors. This bill will increase discrimination against LGBTQ+ students and put their lives in danger.

02-28-2023

Riley Smith []

Please Vote No on this bill, its wildly inaccurate in regards to what gender affirming care is actually available to minors, and actively harms children who are trans or gender nonconforming. This will only result in families choosing to leave Iowa and youth suicide rates going up, along with trauma from the hatred this bill is supporting. Its hypocritical that you support parents choice in everything else but when it comes to something that doesnt follow cisgender heteronormative ideals you think parents should no longer have a say.

02-28-2023

Jessica Donahue []

Vote no for this bill. This bill puts families, children and physicians at risk. Gender affirming care reduces risk of suicide in queer children. By voting no for this bill, you are voting to save children and familys lives.

02-28-2023

Daniel Rudolph []

The current system is working. There is no epidemic of transition regret. The laws are in line with other medical procedures. Hormone blockers are reversible & more heavyhanded interventions like surgery are not done on young children. This bill isn't trying to fix a real problem that would be better left to medical boards anyway. It's a culture war thing. It will hurt a lot of people who needed medical care, not just the trans. It will cause difficulties treating precocious puberty & drive a lot of kids & their taxpaying parents to leave the state.

02-28-2023

Sam Thompson, LISW [United ]

This law flies in the face of medical science. It presumes to second guess the AMA, the APA, as well as hosts of other professionals who provide supportive and knowledgeable care for young people expressing their gender.The ignorance and homophobia here will do tangle harm to a vulnerable population.The GOP punching down, as usual. Not a good look.

02-28-2023

Cassandra Marsh []

Please do not support this bill. It is reported 45% of LGBTQ youth considered suicide in the past year and 60% of LGBTQ youth could not access the mental health care they needed. How will those numbers increase if affirming care they need is taken away? Every major medical organization supports genderaffirming care for transgender youth. This is from the American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/142/4/e20182162/37381/EnsuringComprehensiveCareandSupportfor?autologincheck=redirected Listen to the professionals, not those with discriminatory agendas.

02-28-2023

Laurie Haag []

I am here to voice my support of young people and their parents/guardians to make choices regarding the health and welfare of young individuals in the state of Iowa. The state has no business interfering in those choices related to gender. Those decisions should strictly be between the patient, the guardians, and their medical/mental health team. Politicians should have no say in these matters.

02-28-2023

Nina Lohman []

Please vote NO on this bill. Healthcare decisions should be left to patients, caregivers, and medical professionals. All children deserve the right to be protected and safe. All children deserve the right to medical care.

02-28-2023

Sophie Steffensmeier [Kennedy High School]

Vote NO. We put our trust and faith in doctors and specialists for a reason. Please, listen to the doctors and specialists who have devoted their lives to 'do no harm'. Restricting trans healthcare spits in the face of that. Please, stop pushing our trans youth further into depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. Every child deserves to have a thriving, happy existence. Taking away their healthcare is cruel and heartless. Vote NO!

02-28-2023

Linda Reichle Heinzel []

Only the person seeking care and their medical team can make decisions regarding gender transitions. State government has no right dictating health care for anyone, and this bill counteracts the conservative ideal of small government.

02-28-2023

Nicole Terry []

Please vote NO on this bill. Banning gender affirming health care to kids is cruel and dangerous. It is also a slippery slope to banning it altogether. Access to gender affirming health care supports mental and physical wellbeing and any decisions related to this type of care care should be left to patients, their caregivers, and medical professionals. Allow kids to be who they are. Vote NO!!

02-28-2023

Linda Reichle Heinzel []

02-28-2023

Theresa Meeks-Mosley []

As the mother of a transgender child, I am deeply connected to this issue. I cant tell you how insulting it is for ignorant and uninformed individuals to tell me that offering life saving gender affirming care is somehow wrong and injurious. Gender affirming care decisions are made between the child, their family, and their trusted health care provider thats the way it should stay! The courts and politicians looking to polarize people and better themselves politically have no business inserting themselves into these very personal scenarios. I consider myself lucky to know many transgender individuals, both children and adults. These folks know how tenuous and terrifying this world is for them right now. Many have considered suicide if unable to live as their authentic selves. So many trans people are being murdered, and if legislation like this is passed, countless more lives will be lost to suicide!!!VOTE NO ON THIS BILL!!So many lovely, wonderful kids are relying on us to do the right thing/ show them that they are valuable!!!!

02-28-2023

Nichole Eden []

Please vote NO on HSB 214. The American Academy of Pediatrics and Endocrine Society, The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Medical Association all support the evidencebased standards of care that currently guide the treatment of transgender youth. Moreover, existing safeguards, including the need for parental consent for all medical interventions, are sufficient. Physicians and professionals, along with parents and children, should be given the opportunity to consider the pros and cons of medical interventions and make choices based on their individual circumstances. I ask that you standup for the rights of ALL parents, and vote no.

02-28-2023

Christine Moad []

Please vote NO on HSB 214. I am a genderqueer music educator who teaches trans students age 10 and above. This bill is outright discrimination. The government should play no role in anyone's healthcare decisions. Transgender healthcare and affirming care is absolutely essential for children to be able to live as they truly are and for their mental health. Adolescents with gender dysphoria without genderaffirming treatment might be at risk of thinking about or attempting suicide. In my experience working with trans kids, the best thing to do is to accept and support them for who they are. Trans rights are human rights. Please vote NO on HSB 214.

02-28-2023

Lexi Dodds []

Please vote no on this bill. Trans youth, their parents/guardians and medical professionals should be the only ones who get a say in their healthcare. Gender affirming care is healthcare and it saves lives. Proper gender affirming care can reduce a patient's distress and lead to significant improvements in their overall wellbeing. Everyone deserves to reach their optimal health and feel good about who they are. I urge you to educate yourself on gender affirming care and listen to medical professionals and not politicians. These bills will also hurt our economy. No one will want to move to Iowa or bring businesses here. Please protect our youth, LGBTQ plus Iowans, and our state.

02-28-2023

Lexi Dodds []

02-28-2023

James Kinney []

This bill is not founded on any science or evidence. We know that treatment for gender dysphoria improves the mental health and quality of life for our transgender population. We know that intervention for gender dysphoria decreases the risk of suicide in this population. Surgery is not the only method to treat gender dysphoria and is truly an uncommon intervention under 18 years of age. The process is arduous, involving care coordination within a number of specialties prior to any surgery. Access to medications to help treat gender dysphoria often a last line option following treatment of depression and anxiety with other medications and therapies can be lifesaving. We live in a state with limited access to mental health resources. To pass this blanket ban without any option for treating gender dysphoria, aside from waiting months to years to see a therapist or mental health providers, will lead to negative outcomes and suffering. Keep medical decisions between patient, their relevant POAs, and their providers. The government has no role in this discussion or these decisions. Healthcare providers take an oath to do no harm, do right, and make the most evidence based, patientcentered decision following extensive risk and benefit analysis. This bill will hurt people. Please do not pass a blanket ban without strongly considering the consequences. https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMoa2206297

02-28-2023

Nicole Linderholm []

Please stop legislating peoples bodies. Vote NO. I cannot understate the importance of leaving medical decisions to doctors and patients. This should not be politicized. This should be about health and well bring. Nothing else! How care you dare to know what is best for my childs physical and mental health? How could you know more than their doctor? Stop this political ignorance now. I beg of you.

02-28-2023

Michael Salino-Hugg []

Vote no to HSB 214. Gender affirming care is important, safe, and lifesaving treatment for minors experiencing gender dysforia.This bill undermines the ability of Iowan parents and medical professionals to provide adequate healthcare to minors in need.

02-28-2023

Sarah Lee []

Please vote no on this bill. My brother is transgender and it would have caused him great pain had he not received the care he did to become the person he feels he truly is. This bill will cause harm to many children who need this kind of help. Please vote no!

02-28-2023

Sarah Swisher []

Again the Legislature is promoting solutions to problems that do not exist. This particular solution is one that is very dangerous. Children who are trying to figure out where they fit in our society, especially teenagers, need supportive adults who encourage them to work through their thinking. These kids are vulnerable. An action such as this will not only limit the choices of children and families, it will underscore the feeling of isolation and rejection that questioning minors are already far too familiar with. As with other gender related proposals there is no alternative plan to support these kids. We know about depressed children. I fear this bill will lead to more severe mental health outcomes, including selfmedication and suicide. Where is the conscience of Iowas lawmakers? Lets trust Iowas parents and kids and work to reduce the number of mental health crises among our most precious commodities. Hippocrates taught us to above all do not harm. Please do not vote to harm kids.

02-28-2023

Amber Jackson-Elwer []

Please vote No! I thought y'all were opposed to big government sticking their fingers into other people's business! Let parents and doctors and children manage their own lives. This is not an issue that requires your intervention! Trans lives are hard enough without incessant republican bullying and torture. LEAVE THESE POOR CHILDREN ALONE.

02-28-2023

Amber Carlson []

I strongly oppose HSB 214. As an Iowan and a mother of two young children, I want the choice to be able to make family medical decisions based on our needs and the recommendations of our medical teams. As an Iowan and a community member, I want transgender children and teens, their families, and their medical teams to feel safe and supported in our beautiful state.

02-28-2023

Ashley Lindley []

Please vote NO on HSB 214. Research supports that genderaffirming care not only improves mental health outcomes but also saves lives. As a parent, a social worker, and a lifelong Iowa resident, I urge you to leave these decisions in the hands of young people, their parents/guardians, and their medical care providers.

02-28-2023

Erin Madsen []

Let me be clear, you cannot win a war on freedom. Transgender Iowans of any age, of every age, will transition if they choose. You may waste Iowan taxpayer dollars on interfering with their lives, but they will be free whether in hell you like it or not.

02-28-2023

Charlotte Jeppsen []

Please say NO to this bill. It is incredibly important to support youth decision making in all stages of life. To prohibit gender affirming care sets the precedent for treating children as if they have no agency. When youth feel empowered and feel agency in their lives, they are happier, healthier and more successful. In other words, the consequences of prohibiting gender affirming care are dangerous. Specifically, it is incredibly harmful for their emotional and physical well being. Let youth decide what works for them. They know themselves better than anyone else. Its time we respect that.

02-28-2023

Vicki Martin [None]

Please vote NO on this bill. Is it not the right of every human being to feel comfortable in their own body? Is it not the right of every child , under the guidance of parents and personal physicians to receive health care? It is NOT the right of a legislative body to dictate what is right or wrong in these very personal manners. Who of you would want your state legislator in the exam room of your doctor's office with you and your kiddos, making decisions for their care, or sitting in your family room with your precious kiddos, discussing all that goes into coming to the right decision for them? Trans kids, trans adults, the trans community are human beings folks and they are being treated as if their needs do not matter. This needs to stop. Please vote NO on this bill.

02-28-2023

Michelle Miller []

Please vote NO on HSB 214. I am a licensed pharmacist in Iowa and have practiced at UIHC for more than 10 years in the LGBTQ clinic. I have worked with both adolescent and adult LGBTQ patients. Unfortunately, this population has a risk of suicide almost 9 times higher than the nontransgender population. Often this is attributed to individuals being prevented from fully expressing their identified gender, including use of medications. Transgender affirming healthcare is only provided to youth with full consent of their parents/guardians. The process does not happen quickly and requires support from mental health professionals as well. Many medical organizations have guidelines for caring for transgender youth including AMA, AAP, APA and AAFP. The WPATH guidelines provide clear evidence based guidance on caring for adult, adolescent and pediatric transgender individuals. Providing this care has been shown to improve life satisfaction, decrease depression anxiety and suicidal ideation. Not allowing youth and their parents/guardians to pursue gender affirming care is not a neutral action. Thinking these individuals can just wait until they are 18 can be detrimental to their overall health and wellbeing. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine by Diane Chen PH.D. et al. demonstrates the psychosocial benefits of initiating hormone therapy in transgender youth. Please vote NO to HSB 214.

02-28-2023

Tiffany Welch []

I strongly oppose hsb 214. I have too many friends who have either had their lives saved by gender care or their childrens. Allowing this care is life saving; preventing it will cause death by suicide to rise.

02-28-2023

Andrew Boge []

I implore that all government officials vote no on this bill. It is an egregious example of the overreach of the government on the decisions Iowans should be able to make on their own, without having to answer to the legislature. Healthcare is a human right and Iowas deserve the dignity to make those choices based on what they need to live there life. Robbing Iowans of the freedom and liberty to make their own healthcare decisions is antithetical to the purported ideals of the state. As one supervisor in Johnson County put it: "These are medical decisions made between doctors and families. Children need healthcare for the full depth and breadth of their lives, something they should only have to discuss with their families and doctors to get the care they need. Children should have rights to care for their bodies just like every citizen in this country. This is an overreach of government power and shifts the conversation away from addressing REAL ISSUES, like affordable housing, child hunger, and domestic violence. Stop punishing and shaming transgender children and their families. We are Iowans and deserve dignity and respect."

02-28-2023

Tabitha Simms-Quigley []

Do you care about parent rights or not? Please dont pass this bill that takes away my right as a parent to support my child and get the care my child might need. Gender care saves lives. Oppose hsb 214

02-28-2023

Angela Farrell []

Please vote NO on this bill. As a boardcertified family medicine physician I wholeheartedly disagree with the overreaching, antiscience limitations this bill has on a physician's ability to work with parents and their children. This bill RESTRICTS PARENT's choice to evidencebased medicine. There are standards of care based on peerreviewed research used to guide treatment for transgender youth. in highly personal health care decisions for their children. Health care providers follow evidencebased standards of care to guide treatment for transgender youth. Guidelines are endorsed by every major US medical organization. The process to obtain genderaffirming care is methodical and lengthy, and requires parental consent. This bill will harm youth, harm parents ability to obtain safe care for their children, and harm medical provider's ability to treat patients.

02-28-2023

Sara Miller []

Please discontinue discussion of this ridiculous & harmful bill immediately. An abundance of real, scientific research backs up the idea that gender affirming treatment, both medical & psychological, saves the lives of kids (& adults). No one is talking about hasty surgeries on minors. What actual experts are talking about it a wholistic approach to treat trans kids in the ways that will yield the best outcome for the individual, in accordance with a care team AND their parents. It baffles my mind that this governing body is able to talk out of both sides of their mouth, acting like parents matter & then trying to curtail some parents from giving their children life saving medical treatment. Stop punching down at marginalized kids. Let doctors & psychiatrists & mental health professionals do their jobs. Do not enact overreaching, nannystate legislation to score points with people for whom this legislation is hypothetical. Please listen to people for whom this legislation is life or death. They agree that it would be harmful, at best to their family's ability to stay in Iowaat worst to their kids' lives.

02-28-2023

Jodie Theobald []

I urge you to vote no on this bill. It is clear that the excellent medical professionals, who have the knowledge and the experience in supporting children in our state, have grave concerns regarding this bill. The decision of a parent to seek medical help for their child should not be dictated by the political motivations of those without medical backgrounds.

02-28-2023

Alma Drake [SoundWorks Healing & Arts]

Kids are much smarter than we give them credit for being. As someone who never felt like a "girl" I would have loved to have some genderaffirming care and therapy to help me understand my true needs, instead of being made to feel like a fish out of water every day. I want my grandkids to grow up in a world where they can be respected and affirmed for exactly who they are. The damage to young minds from the pressure to conform lasts lifetimes. Families are torn apart because it makes people "uncomfortavle" to even think about the topic. I urge you to side with kids all kids who need to be affirmed and loved for exactly who they are, no matter what their birth certificate says.

02-28-2023

Asa Crowe []

Please vote no on this bill and consult doctors because it is a medical issue and not a matter of opinion. Trans kids have a high risk of suicide and their care needs to start as soon as possible to protect them.

02-28-2023

Jill McLain []

Please vote no. Trans kids are so vulnerable already and don't need to have their lives made harder. Leave these matters to their parents and doctors, please. If you want to protect children, put efforts toward increasing access to quality public education. Work to keep them safe from gun violence. Make Iowa the place where young families want to live rather than want to leave. And please look for ways to make vulnerable people's lives easier, not harder.

02-28-2023

Nathan Morton []

Why are Iowa Republicans promoting so much invasive government involvement in private healthcare and parenting decisions? This is a dangerous precedent for more interference. Oppose this legislation. Stop attacking trans kids and their families.

02-28-2023

Amy Kahle []

Vote no on this hateful bill. A recent study from the CDC states "LGBTQ+ students are experiencing alarming rates of violence, poor mental health, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors." Denying gender affirming care will only increase these mental health concerns. We have to care for our youth better than this.

02-28-2023

Maia Griffith []

VOTE NO on HSB 214. Gender affirming care has the capacity to save lives, as well as drastically improve quality of life. These decisions should be available for minors to discuss with their provider on an individual basis, based on what is best for them. There is a multitude of data illuminating the high rates of suicide and depression for transgendered youth, why would the legislature add yet another barrier for these individuals to live a full and happy life?

02-28-2023

Sarah Ehlen []

Please do not support this bill. You have no business telling people what medical care they should access. Laws like these trample on the rights of individuals to make decisions for themselves. A bill like this completely undermines the values we should hold as Americans of liberty and personal freedoms.

02-28-2023

Violet Barzee []

Please vote no on this bill. Trans youth already have an arduous path to receiving the care they need to feel comfortable in their own skin. Forcing children to undergo the puberty of a gender they are not and have irreversible changes made to their body is damaging. I personally know trans people who, in their childhood, would improperly bind and seek alternative, less safe, methods of feeling more like the gender they identify as. These DIY methods resulted in further health complications later in life. Banning medical care for trans youth is NOT protecting their health. Many trans kids may resort to more extreme measures to combat their dysphoria and the depression that results from that. Instead, we should look for ways to listen to, and support, our children who may be facing internal struggles we cannot possibly ever relate to. Please vote no to protect their wellbeing and lives.

02-28-2023

Ben Fortune []

As a parent of a trans 12 year old; I cannot believe that there are grown assed adults in our legislature who just cant stand the fact that not everyone is just like them. GROW UP. Just because you are uncomfortable with a CHILD who has different feelings and opinions about gender, that does NOT grant you the right to PERSECUTE that CHILD. You call yourselves Christianwell what kind of Jesus Christ would punish CHILDREN for feeling different???? Not the Jesus I learned about. And parents are NOT the deciders for their children; CHILDREN ARE NOT OUR SLAVES AND THEY HAVE A RIGHT TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES. Now drop this insane bullying crap and stop with the identity politics freak out nonsense. You were sent to the capitol to work for ALL IOWANS; NOT JUST THE ONES WHO VOTED FOR YOU. Ffs knock it off.

02-28-2023

George Caron []

Please vote yes on this bill. We are born Male or Female and wonderfully made in the image of God. Mutilation and Experimentation is what the Nazis did in Germany, This evil devalues who God made us to be. This evil cabal is coming for our children and must be stopped. Luke 17:2 It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Thank you all who support HSB214 and are letting your voice be heard. "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.Not to speak is to speak.Not to act is to act,God will not hold us guiltless," Quote by. Eric MetaxasGod please have Mercy on us!

02-28-2023

Nicole Yeager []

I am from Iowan and work and study mental health in youth. Part of what drew me to this field was that In high school, my dear friend nearly completed suicide in our rural Iowan community due to lack of acceptance from their parents and school, and they did not have access to gender affirming care (i.e., MD or therapist).I am certain that if HSB214 passes, it will negatively impact the wellbeing of children and families, and youth will complete suicide (i.e., DIE). We know that suicidal ideation is influenced by a lack of belonging. You and your legislators are weighing out legislation that will ensure people lack belonging in their schools, at their doctors, in the community, with their therapists, and their families.Research demonstrates that genderaffirming carea medical and psychosocial health care designed to affirm individuals' gender identitiesgreatly improves the mental health and overall wellbeing of gender diverse, transgender, and nonbinary children and adolescents.I leave you with this: gender diversity is more common than you think and is not a choice. Genetics are at play. For lintersex (those that have male & female sex organs), this is as common as red hair.Be on the right side of history. Vote no on HB214. For the kids.

02-28-2023

Kellie Nath [Concerned Parent]

29 AntiLgbtq bills and 0 bills to improve life for Iowa's kids. I am disheartened to see all of the comments, and the testimony of Doctors,Teachers, Parents, and Children ignored in these committees. To deny gender affirming care, is an act of violence and abuse against Iowas most vulnerable children. Gender Affirming Care is Suicide Prevention. Every step of Gender affirming care is discussed with doctors, therapists, the child and their guardians. It is ALL done in the best interest of the child. This bill Stops That Care. I am disgusted by this and the other 29 hate bills that have passed out of committee. Vote No!

02-28-2023

Mallory Hellman []

I work with transgender and nonbinary youth on a daily basis, who would be suffering (or worse) without access to this essential care. Please vote NO on this bill, which disempowers children and interferes in the professional relationship of care between youth and their doctors. Genderaffirming care has been proven effective in evidencebased studies and has the actionable potential to save children's lives. Denying a child the care they need, have requested, and deserve is not protecting that child. It is a fearbased attempt to control outcomes in that child's life. It is cisgender, heterosexual indoctrination. Please vote no on this harmful bill.

02-28-2023

Amy Dea []

I support this bill. Please vote to keep Iowa children safe from permanent damage. Our children deserve adults fighting for their safety. These procedures have so many negative side effects. I ask that you vote to allow Iowa children the opportunity to grow into happy healthy adults. Please pass HSB 214

02-28-2023

Ariel Levin []

This bill is a shande! Youth deserve support in all its forms including genderaffirming care. Qualified health professionals, and more importantly, youth themselves and their families, have made it clear this is a critical and valuable service. Attempting to restrict it under the guise of protecting youth is absurd and harmful as is going along with efforts to disguise it as such.

02-28-2023

Tammy Buseman []

Medical best practices and clear evidence exists that support appropriate medical care and interventions for young people with gender dysphoria. Republicans must cease and desist in their efforts to marginalize trans children. You have NO right to legislate healthcare for our children. This is between trained medical providers, children and their parents. Do not return to draconian practices! Do not make this state an unsafe place for our children!

02-28-2023

Anne Wilmoth []

Vote no on this bill and allow Iowa youth to receive genderaffirming healthcare. This type of care is not undertaken lightly or carelessly. Parents and licensed medical professionals a whole team carefully consider appropriate steps. Let the healthcare professionals handle healthcare.

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

Becky Boscaljon []

I am a pediatrician and mother and am absolutely against this bill. Gender affirming care is absolutely life saving for transgender youth. This bill will force families out of Iowa and risk the safety of Iowa youth. Discrimination against trans people is not only unscientific, it's dangerous and disgusting.

03-01-2023

Storm O'Brink []

Vote NO. I am a sexual assault victim counselor working in Iowa, specializing in working with LGBTQIA people. I am also a trans person that was coerced into detransitioning after coming out as a 16 year old, then retransitioned when I was a young adult and could assure my own safety. From personal experience, detransition wounded me psychologically in ways I can't concisely quantify here and you will be inflicting that harm on the trans youth of Iowa of this bill is passed. Research shows that providing gender affirming care lowers suicidality in transgender youth, which is high because of the lack of support they receive for being trans from their social support networks. We have large bodies of research showing the benefits of gender affirming care and you know this. The comments from doctors and experts on this bill have been made clear to you already. It's clear that the goal of your legislation is to erase us from society which you cannot do. If this bill is passed, trans youth will die and their blood will be on your hands.

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??