SF482 - Bathroom Bill live thread:

Rep. Konfrst notes that bills like these make Iowa a less welcoming state. This bill singles out students and makes them feel isolated at school Rep. Levin asks the legislature to consider how they would feel to be too uncomfortable to use the restroom at school and how that might jeopardize student safety.

"Do the right thing for people and treat all of them the same. If you're uncomfortable, I get it. But educate yourself. Don't vote against people just because you don't like them or don't understand. Vote no on this damn bill." Rep. Sue Cahill is now speaking.

"Yes - parents know best for their kids. I respect families and the decisions that they make."

"This bill targets the civil rights of a protected group under Iowa law. This bill takes away freedoms..."

🧵 THREAD: The Iowa Senate is debating SF 482 - the "bathroom bill". Tune in here: legis.iowa.gov/dashboard?view… We begin with Senator Cherielynn Westrich's comments. She is the bill's primary sponsor.

"all children deserve privacy"

1/🧵Last week, the Iowa Legislature pushed multiple bills through to the house & senate floor seeking to harm transgender youth. Specifically, House File 623 & Senate File 538 will ban all gender affirming care for anyone under the age of 18. 2/🧵Every major medical organization in the nation is in agreement - gender affirming care is lifesaving care!
Senate File 482 and House File 622 will force anyone in Iowa schools to use the restroom/facility that aligns with their sex assigned at birth.

THREAD: We’re coming to you live from the Iowa House Government Oversight Committee. The topic today is gender affirming care for minors.

Tune in here: ialegis.webex.com/ialegis/j.php?… Speaker @PatGrassley floated the idea of restricting or banning gender affirming care access for minors.

🚨LEGISLATIVE ALERT🚨
There are two bad bills in subcommittee TOMORROW! This is the ONLY time members of the public are allowed to speak.
Email the respective subcommittee members below! Want to come to the State Capitol and speak? Email damian@iowasafeschools.org
... SF 83 will be in subcommittee at 12:00 PM. This bill bans gender identity curriculum in grades K-8.
Senator Jeff Taylor - jeff.taylor@legis.iowa.gov
Senator Cherielynn Westrich - cherielynn.westrich@legis.iowa.gov
Senator Herman Quirmbach - herman.quirmbach@legis.iowa.go
...

Today, we stood in solidarity with our trans students at the Iowa Capitol. Flanked by the American and Iowa flags, we stood silently behind @IAGovernor as she signed this discriminatory bill with the same flag that flew over the State Capitol for Trans Day of Remembrance in 2019 Iowa Safe Schools' Executive Director, Becky Smith, released the following statement today:
"With the stroke of a pen, Governor Kim Reynolds has made it clear that the lives of transgender children in Iowa do not matter.

Iowa Safe Schools' Executive Director, Becky Smith, released the following statement regarding the passage of HF 2416 today: "It’s incredibly disappointing and frankly disgusting that there are members of the Iowa Legislature who have equated being transgender to cancer and referred to LGBTQ people as "mentally ill".

THREAD: SF 2342 will be coming up for debate shortly. This bill bans trans athletes from participating in Iowa. We’re live from the gallery - keep an eye on this Twitter #ialegis Read the bill in the meantime: legis.iowa.gov/legislation/Bi… #ialegis

THREAD: HF 2416 is up for debate in the Iowa House. We’re live from the gallery #ialegis Immediately, Rep Wheeler has introduced an amendment redrafting the bill to include colleges, both private and public #ialegis