Iowa has joined the ranks of Republican-led states adopting a “Don’t Say Gay” measure that censors discussions of LGBTQ content in schools, outs transgender students prematurely, and makes it easier to ban books from school library shelves.
The law, billed as a “parental rights” measure, was signed into law by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds last Friday.
The new law seeks to codify a “fundamental, constitutionally protected right” of parents to make decisions about their children’s medical care, extracurricular activities, and “moral and religious upbringing.”
However, parents of transgender youth are barred from making decisions about their medical care under a ban on gender-affirming care signed into law by Reynolds earlier this year.
Under the bill, teachers are barred from broaching any LGBTQ-related topics, even in passing, before seventh grade, according to The Des Moines Register. It also turns teachers into reporters, forcing them to prematurely “out” students who are using or asking to be referred to by gender-affirming pronouns to their parents.
Going forward, schools must obtain parental consent before students can participate in any school climate surveys asking about their mental, emotional, or physical health, as well as questions about political affiliation, sexual behavior, drug or alcohol use, religious beliefs, or family income.
Information about HIV and HPV transmission will also be removed from school curricula.
The law also contains provisions to make the process of challenging books with alleged “sexually explicit” content and having them removed from school libraries.
But some critics fear that any LGBTQ-themed title or work by an LGBTQ author will be cast as “sexually explicit” — regardless of what the text actually says — under a broad interpretation of the law.
While Reynolds praised the law in a statement, she avoided mentioning the bill’s impact or its intent in prohibiting discussions of LGBTQ content.Β
“This legislative session, we secured transformational education reform that puts parents in the driver’s seat, eliminates burdensome regulations on public schools, provides flexibility to raise teacher salaries and empowers teachers to prepare our kids for their future,” Reynolds said in the statement. “Education is the great equalizer and everyone involved — parents, educators, our children — deserves an environment where they can thrive.”
LGBTQ advocacy groups have condemned the law, saying it will harm more LGBTQ children than it helps.
“While we are not surprised that the Governor signed her signature bill containing multiple provisions intended to directly discriminate against LGBTQ students, we are still extremely disappointed,” Courtney Reyes, the executive director of the LGBTQ organization One Iowa, said in a statement.
Reyes slammed Reynolds for signing the law, as well two bills — a ban on gender-affirming care and a bill restricting which restrooms and facilities transgender students may access in schools — she previously signed into law earlier this yearΒ “behind closed doors.”
“Like many other centerpieces of the Governorβs agenda, this legislation will harm an already vulnerable group of children and will benefit no one,” added Reyes. “The Governor constantly cites the film Field Of Dreams, but maybe she needs to rewatch it. The people banning books in that movie are the villains, not the heroes.”
The education advocacy group GLSEN, which seeks to combat anti-LGBTQ bullying and harassment in schools and create more inclusive environments for LGBTQ students, also criticized the law.
“It’s disturbing to see more and more extreme ‘Donβt Say Gay or Trans’ bills become law in states like Iowa, a state that was once a beacon for inclusion and the first state to legalize same-sex marriage in the Midwest,” GLSENΒ Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers said in a statement.Β
“This legislation was created to silence LGBTQ+ students and remove spaces for them to be their authentic selves,” Willingham-Jaggers said. “GLSENβs recent School Climate Survey showed that students are experiencing increasingly hostile school environments as support declines. These ‘Don’t Say Gay or Trans’ bills have a catastrophic effect on queer youth and silence supportive educators who are often a lifeline for them.
“Iowa legislators claim that this bill is meant to ‘protect children’ despite the fact that just weeks ago, Governor Reynolds signed a bill to roll back labor protections for children, allowing them to work longer hours and take jobs that had previously been prohibited,” Willingham-Jaggers added. “Letβs be clear: These extremist leaders donβt care about protecting our youth. As these vicious attacks target vulnerable communities across the country, we must work together to rise up and support LGBTQ+ youth.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced plans to prohibit transgender individuals from using public bathrooms that match their gender identity on the House side of the U.S. Capitol complex.
As first reported by The Hill, Johnson announced the ban in a public statement. Under House rules, the Speaker has "general control" of facilities in the chamber, giving Johnson the authority to issue policy regarding restroom usage.
"All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings -- such as restrooms, changing rooms, and locker rooms -- are reserved only for individuals of that biological sex," Johnson said in the statement. "It is important to note that each Member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol."
"This year, we had the death of Pauly Likens, who was 14, the youngest victim we've ever recorded," says Dr. Shoshana Goldberg. "We see many victims misgendered and deadening by authorities, and reporting what emerged this year is not surprising. What is unsurprising and heartbreaking is that we just see the same things happen. Even as while the numbers may change from year to year, the same trends continue to emerge."
Goldberg is the director of public education and research at the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation's largest LGBTQ civil rights organization. Earlier today, one day before Transgender Day of Remembrance, which memorializes those trans people who have lost their lives to murder or suicide, the foundation released a report detailing the extent of violence directed against members of the transgender and gender-nonconforming communities in the United States.
Denzel Washington revealed that a scene in which he kisses another male actor was cut from the final version of the movie Ridley Scott's upcoming Gladiator II.
The Oscar-winning actor plays Macrinus, an ambitious, wealthy Roman businessman who is presumed to be bisexual in the film.
"I kissed the man in the film but they took it . I think they got chicken," he told Gayety.Β "I kissed a guy full on the lips, and I guess they werenβt ready for that yet."
The gesture, at least in the context of the movie's plot, was not a romantic one, but more of a sealing of one's fate.Β
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