49 Comments
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Kate Jensen's avatar

Let’s call this what it is, directly. Iowa legislature votes to legalize discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

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Brooklyn Ricky's avatar

“With liberty and justice for all”

Except trans people.

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Lauren Glenn's avatar

Pretty soon they'll add footnotes to the constitution with their exceptions.

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Brooklyn Ricky's avatar

They will try to. Yet humankind includes all kinds. 'We the people' includes all the people. The United States Constitution and original ten amendments do not play identity games by dividing humankind into subgroups. Simply stated, all people are equally entitled to the same individual liberty, freedom, and equality of opportunity, regardless if born dark skin, light skin, female, male, or of any sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or disability.

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Lauren Glenn's avatar

I agree but remember that we've had to have the constitution amended multiple times to reduce the # of exceptions to it.

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Brooklyn Ricky's avatar

Yes I know. But still, the constitution says what it says: We are all equaly endowed with certain unalienable rights… there’s no place where they made any exception for that. It doesn’t say that there are any people excluded from mankind (or humankind), doesn’t say there’s any people that are excluded from “we the people”. Trans People are people! And trans rights are human rights! I’ve been shouting this into the wind for years. It doesn’t seem to matter anymore.

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Joan the Dork's avatar

Guess we know which state is getting its Florida stripes next.

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Michelle Fuoco's avatar

Texas is my guess

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Sarah Schwartz's avatar

Pretty damn ashamed of the state when I was born. Believe it or not, Iowa used to be pretty progressive … clearly it is now regressive. 😢

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c n's avatar

it’s where i went to college and where my father grew up, so it’s definitely so painful to watch what’s happened in just 10-15 years.

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SunflowerP's avatar

I remember when Iowa startled me by being the first state outside New England in which same-sex marriage became legal.

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Lauren Glenn's avatar

Proof that they don't care about solving any actual problems if they're all doing this. My mom lives in VA and says that everyone near her is cheering Trump's agenda with this and things like this.... It's all fine with them until they start coming after something they do or some group they're a part of. We're almost at the point where we need to seek asylum in another country... even Mexico seems appealing and that's saying how far this country has fallen.

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Deb Powers's avatar

Have you noticed that all these calls about protecting women in sports come from people who know flying fuck-all about women’s sports? And never mentioned it before?

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Jen G's avatar

With each new story, I'm feeling less and less equipped to contain my anger and disgust.

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Jessica Moore's avatar

My psych had me screaming into a pillow in therapy to help deal with my anger.

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Jen G's avatar

I have trigger thumb from so much knitting. Screaming sounds cathartic.

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Craig Hamm's avatar

Doesn’t this go directly against “R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission?”

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Rehanna (she/her)'s avatar

I'm a newly trans woman but besides that point. I'm not understanding how something like this is even possible. Just feel lost about it.

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precious's avatar

Edited: All of this is happening against the backdrop of U.S. public schools, where progressive teaching philosophy has been present for over a century, dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are deeply tied to John Dewey, one of the most influential educational reformers.

Project 2025 aims to reinforce ignorance and superstition, re-establish an economic system built on extreme wealth disparity, and grow a labor force through pronatalist policies that strip people of bodily autonomy. This includes eliminating access to reproductive healthcare like birth control and prevention. ‘Woke’ is being purged from schools through historical revisionism and book bans, ensuring future generations are shaped by a narrow, controlled ideology rather than informed critical thinking.”**

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Celeste Irwin's avatar

Erin (or others), if you have contacts who can help: If the ACLU or Lambda Legal need someone to sue about the birth certificate part (removes the ability to change sex designation), I volunteer if they will help.

I literally sent in my sex designation changes application last week and it looks like it won’t make it through the system unless the governor takes a few weeks to sign it.

I’m so upset by this and if there is any way I can help, I’m here for it.

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Deb Powers's avatar

Very seriously, is there a List of states nobody should be having a convention at? This should be at the top of

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MissNumbersNinja's avatar

This map Erin maintains is what I use -

https://www.erininthemorning.com

I'm involved in a battle right now with a convention I'm part of, about is possibly moving from a trans friendly state to an unfriendly state.

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Stacy Bousquet's avatar

History will not be kind to the governor. I wonder how they don't see the groundswell of revolt coming?

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jbmonco's avatar

Feels like amendment 2 in Colorado which was struck down as unconstitutional by a sane Supreme Court.

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Sandra's avatar

Whether it’s states like Iowa or the federal government, trans people seem to be having their civil rights stripped away on nearly a daily basis.

There are dwindling few safe places left.

It’s absolutely inexcusable and disgraceful.

They came for passport markers on the very day of inauguration.

Sometimes I really wish I knew what to do, if anything, to stay safe. Advocacy organizations are overwhelmed right now and so are of little help.

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Jessica Moore's avatar

If I were in a red state I would be doing whatever I could to get out.

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Joanne's avatar

Such legislation serves as a backdrop for those who are predisposed to violence. Obviously, someone bent on "beating up a few fags" doesn't view civil rights protections as any sort of barrier. But, knowing that the state's own legislature and Governor feel that trans folks don't count makes it much easier to take that next step and take a chance on assault. "Hey, Officer, I suddenly realized they were trans so I panicked and stomped them. Can you blame me?"

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Georgette Wolf's avatar

For a group that “doesn’t exist,” it looks like we’re making plenty of noise.

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