Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) has signed two bills into law that ban transgender procedures on minors and require so-called transgender students to use public school bathrooms or locker rooms that match their actual gender.
The bill — SF 482, also known as the “Bathroom Bill,” and SF 538 — were signed into law on Wednesday, and will take effect immediately. Alongside the prohibition on male students using female facilities and vice versa, the Bathroom Bill requires public schools to maintain separate restrooms, locker rooms, showers, dressing areas, and overnight accommodations for male and female students — though students will be permitted to request special accommodations if they “desire greater privacy.”
Reynolds, the first woman to be elected as governor of Iowa, spoke out about the laws — noting that they are “in the best interest of the kids.
“I’m a parent. I’m a grandmother. I know how difficult this is. This is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in,” the governor said, according to local media. “You know, I don’t like it, but I have to do what I believe is right now is in the best interest of the kids [sic].”
While Democrats insist that so-called transgender students in Iowa using their preferred facilities have not caused any issues and claim that the legislation would lead to harassment of these students, Republicans maintain that the legislation protects the privacy and safety of students.
The other bill, SF 538, prohibits Iowa doctors from prescribing puberty blockers or hormone therapy to children under the age of 18 and also bans transgender surgeries for minors.
“I believe that the science isn’t conclusive to support what we’re potentially doing to our kids,” Reynolds argued. “These are irreversible. We don’t even understand the long-term effects.”
The true effects of these dangerous procedures have already been demonstrated on numerous occasions, including in the case of Chloe Cole — a woman who transitioned as a teen and has since detransitioned.
Cole is now suing the doctors who performed the “gender-affirming surgery” on her — and has spoken out against the procedures being performed on minors.
While both of Iowa’s new laws have taken effect immediately, SF 538 gives children who have already started these procedures six months to stop. Healthcare providers are also given 180 days to stop administering these procedures to their minor patients.
The left is already angry over the news, with Corey Jacobson — president of CR Pride Board — telling local media that “the governor has taken away a parent’s right to make medical decisions for their children and has exposed transgender youth to potential harm.”
Meanwhile, conservatives have celebrated Iowa’s new laws, with the organization Gays Against Groomers tweeting: “Another victory! State by state we will win this and end the war on children!”
BREAKING: Iowa bans all child sex change drugs and surgeries!! They have also made it law that in schools, students must use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex.
Another victory! State by state we will win this and https://t.co/MGahw37zhx…
— Gays Against Groomers (@againstgrmrs) March 23, 2023
Iowa’s move came just one day before Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed similar legislation to ban certain transgender procedures for minors in his state. Georgia Senate Bill 140 prohibits minors from receiving hormone replacement therapies and transgender surgeries.
“As Georgians, parents, and elected leaders, it is our highest responsibility to safeguard the bright, promising futures of our kids — and SB 140 takes an important step in fulfilling that mission,” the Georgia governor said in a statement posted to Twitter.
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) March 23, 2023
