Iowa State Capitol Building. (Photo from State of Iowa)
The Iowa Senate Education Committee passed SSB 3146 Feb. 17, which would restrict transgender women and girls from playing on school sports teams that match their gender identity.
The Senate version is a companion to HF 2309, which allows any student who alleges “direct or indirect harm as a result of a violation of the bill’s requirement” to sue a school district, private school or high school athletic association if trans girls are not banned from girls sports. Both versions carry similar language.
State Rep. Mary Mascher of Iowa City forcefully told the subcommittee of the Iowa House Education Committee, which passed the House version last week, “I am adamantly opposed to this bill, because I think it is state-sanctioned bullying,” she said.
Democratic state Sen. Zach Wahls, (D-37), told the Washington Blade in an email after Thursday’s passage of the Senate version through the committee “Republican politicians are trying to score political points and pit Iowans against each other rather than address the real economic issues affecting everyday Iowans. This legislation is shameful and disrespectful.”
“There are many issues that need the attention of Iowa lawmakers right now — this isn’t one of them. Transgender youth already face increased risk for bullying, depression, and suicide, and 85 percent of say recent debates about state laws restricting the rights of transgender people have negatively impacted their mental health,” said Sam Ames, director for advocacy and government affairs at the Trevor Project. “We urge Iowa lawmakers to stop this bill and its House companion in their tracks, and to instead focus on supporting young trans people, not excluding them.”
During her House committee testimony last week, Emily Piper, representing the Iowa Association of School Boards, told the subcommittee “This bill creates an unfortunate situation for school districts and our public employees where they’ll have to make a decision as to whether they violate state law or whether they violate federal law.”
Piper also told members that the association opposes the bill because it “is going to have serious consequences, not only for our employees, but for the districts and for the taxpayer as we seek to defend ourselves. We ask that you do not put us in this position of having to choose between a state law and a federal law.”
Should these measures pass both the House and the Senate, the legislation will then head to the desk of Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The Des Moines Register reported that Reynolds repeated Tuesday that she believes it’s not fair to allow trans women and girls to compete in girls’ sports, but said she’ll wait to see the final version of a bill Iowa lawmakers are considering before she commits to signing it.
“Girls have dreams and aspirations of earning a scholarship to help pay for college. Girls have dreams and aspirations of one day competing in the Olympics,” Reynolds said. “So it’s a fairness issue.”
Reynolds, a Republican, last year called for Iowa lawmakers to send a bill to her desk that would restrict trans athletes’ ability to participate in sports matching their gender identity, but lawmakers adjourned the session without filing a bill.
