Opinion: Iowa lawmakers need to stop harming LGBTQ kids

• Aime J. Wichtendahl is a Hiawatha city councilwoman.

When the GOP took over the Legislature in 2017, I told our city manager in Hiawatha, where I am on the City Council, “I don’t know what their economic agenda is, but I bet it has something to do with gay marriage and abortion.”

Fast forward six years and little has changed … except the Legislature devotes extra time attacking transgender youth to feed their lives into the never-ending culture war dumpster fire.

A House subcommittee recently advanced House File 8 (Iowa’s equivalent to Florida’s Don’t Say Gay Bill) and House File 9 (The Out-if-Trans bill).

House File 8’s proponents, such as committee chair Rep. Skyler Wheeler, a Sioux County Republican, say they believe this legislation bolsters parents’ rights.

However, these rights are not reserved for all parents, especially for parents who want their children to have access to fully stocked libraries and access to knowledge. No. These laws are made by and for a small group of activists such as Moms for Liberty (fun fact: You can’t be for liberty if you’re banning books) who believe their rights are the only ones that matter.

More:Iowa Republicans focus on attacking trans people like me

House File 9 is a particularly heinous piece of legislation that forcibly outs any child to their parents if they express any feelings of being transgender, non-binary, or gender non-conforming and prevents school officials from providing accommodations and support such as using a student’s preferred name and pronouns.

After the hearing, Wheeler proved especially oblivious to the potential harm this could cause: “What I’ve heard from today from those opposing this bill is, 'Parents are evil.' That’s literally what you guys were saying. 'Parents are evil and don’t know what’s best for their kids.'”

As with the other bill, the rights of parents who want gay or trans kids to be safe and receive a quality education will not be a priority.

As someone who grew up in the '80s and '90s, I can remember that forcibly outing someone resulted in a lot of destroyed lives and careers. It’s not something that should be treated lightly. Even if a school outing their child as trans to their parents results in an accepting home life, it’s still a massive breach of privacy and trust that can still result in trauma.

The consequences of getting this wrong can be dire, especially in an era where right-wing politicians race to outdo each other with how extreme they can be toward transgender people.

Is a student whose parents watch Tucker Carlson every night going to feel safe coming out to them? Or are they legitimately worried they will be put out on the street?

According to the Trevor Project, 28% of queer youth reported being homeless in their lives.

That’s 1 in 4 kids, 1 in 4 kids who risk losing their homes because of this law.

These bills will increase bullying and risk of self-harm, and trans youth without family support are twice as likely to be at risk for suicide.

The legislators who write these bills know this and they don’t care. They are so terrified that their children might be queer they are willing to burn down the entire public school system. 

In case it needs to be said: You can’t make a straight person gay. You can’t make a gay person straight. You can’t make a trans person untrans.

However, there is a lot of harm in trying.

While I don’t know Mr. Wheeler personally, his name is at the top of seemingly every anti-trans bill that is introduced in this Legislature. If I were to guess, I’d say that Wheeler subscribes to the belief that the public schools have been infested with dirty leftists who are hell-bent on destroying America. That’s why the Legislature is providing vouchers to private Christian school alternatives that claim to offer safe harbor from that “socialist gender ideology.”

Did I cram enough hyperbole and adjectives in the previous sentence? Dang, forgot to overuse the word "woke." Next time.

I went to a private Christian school from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. I received a patriotic Christian education that taught America was God’s chosen nation, that boys were boys and girls were girls, and that the only sanctified relationship was heterosexual marriage.

Yet, I’m still trans, because you can’t make someone not trans — no matter how much you deny it, or try to pray it away, you can’t.

I know … because I tried, and it nearly killed me.

So, Skyler, I encourage you not to be so cavalier with other kids’ lives.

To the people of Iowa, I call on you to contact your representatives and say, “Enough with this culture war garbage.”

After all, you voted for the GOP because you believed the cost of living is intolerable. Rent, housing, and groceries keep going up, the water keeps getting worse, and wages are stuck in the 1990s. Those are the issues the government should focus on.

Tell your legislators enough is enough. Enact policies that make your lives better. Don’t ruin the lives of kids who simply want to live their lives and get an education.    

Aime J. Wichtendahl is a Hiawatha city councilwoman.