Last Friday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a budget bill containing a provision that allows local governments or state agencies to refuse to use public dollars, including Medicaid funds, for transition-related surgeries for transgender people.
“This narrow provision simply clarified that Iowa’s Civil Rights Act does not require taxpayer dollars to pay for sex reassignment and other similar surgeries. This returns us to what had been the state’s position for years,” Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said in a statement.
The provision was added in response to an Iowa Supreme Court decision issued in March that found that the state’s previous ban prohibiting the use of Medicaid dollars for transition-related care was unconstitutional under the section of the Civil Rights Act prohibiting discrimination against people based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa noted in a statement that the newly passed provision only affects “public accommodations” — which includes Medicaid — under the Civil Rights Act.
“The law did not amend or alter any other section of the Iowa Civil Rights Act or impact other government funding of transgender care, such as that provided to state employees or prisoners,” the ACLU of Iowa said in a statement.
Other LGBTQ rights groups condemned Reynold’s decision not to use a line-item veto to remove the provision, which will now be used to deny care to transgender individuals.
“It’s deeply disappointing that Gov. Kim Reynolds is caving to the pressure from some radical lawmakers in the Iowa Senate, instead of protecting the rights and dignity of transgender Iowans,” JoDee Winterhof, HRC’s senior vice president of policy and political affairs, said in a statement.
“Gov. Reynolds had the option to line-item veto this provision and leave the rest of the funding bill intact, but she did not,” Winterhof added. “This sends a strong message that she is not working for all of her constituents and a craven desire to please Iowa’s most extreme lawmakers. As a native Iowan, Iowa deserves better — and different — leaders.”
Studies of states where gender confirmation surgery is covered by Medicaid funds have not reported significant cost increases, despite claims by conservatives that covering such transition-related procedures are overly expensive.
“We are deeply disappointed that Gov. Reynolds has ignored medical experts, Iowa business leaders, cost analysis data, and the many transgender Iowans and allies who shared their stories with her to sign this bill into law,” Daniel Hoffman-Zinnel, the executive director of LGBTQ rights group One Iowa Action, said in a statement accusing the governor of tarnishing the state’s reputation as a place that values fairness and equality.
“By signing this cruel legislation into law, Gov. Reynolds has told every transgender Iowan that they are second-hand citizens and unwelcome in our state,” Hoffman-Zinnel added. “Make no mistake, this law threatens people’s lives. It also won’t stand up to legal muster, and will stick taxpayers with the bill for ensuing lawsuits. Today is a shameful day to be an Iowan.”
Tyler Getchell of Jacksonville, Florida, has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly shooting and partially paralyzing his neighbor, Kyle McFarlane, during an argument over what Getchell believed was trespassing.
McFarlane told police he was gathering discarded furniture for a bonfire on November 22 when Getchell and his girlfriend came outside and yelled at him to get off their property, First Coast News reported.
According to the police report, video footage shows McFarlane standing on a property easement -- not on his neighbors' land -- just before the shooting.
The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to enforce a policy mandating that U.S. passports list a traveler’s sex as assigned at birth, based on biological characteristics.
On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the U.S. government would recognize only two sexes, effectively erasing transgender identity. The order, which pledged to uphold "the biological reality of sex," directed the State Department to revise its passport policies to "accurately reflect the holder's sex."
A gay former student at a Catholic high school has filed a federal lawsuit accusing administrators of ignoring relentless bullying and harassment by members of the school's storied football team.
The lawsuit, filed by a student identified as "Grandson Rudolph" and his legal guardian, "Grandmother Rudolph," alleges that administrators shielded football players from discipline, prioritizing their protection over the safety of other students, according to CBS affiliate WTRF.
Filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the suit names Ursuline High School, Assistant Principal Margaret Damore, and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown as defendants.
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