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.”
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch are seeking the public's assistance in identifying a "person of interest" in the murder of a transgender woman earlier this month.
A'nee Roberson, 30, of Northwest D.C., was struck and killed by a vehicle around 4:20 a.m. on Saturday, October 14, near the intersection of U and 9th Streets NW -- just steps from several prominent D.C. nightclubs, including at least four bars serving the LGBTQ community.
Roberson was struck by the car after being assaulted and ended up in the roadway. It is unclear at this time what motivated the assailant to attack her. She was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.
To commemorate the Transgender Day of Remembrance, the National Center for Transgender Equality released a report honoring the lives of 109 transgender individuals in the United States who died over the past year from various causes.
The 2023 "Remembrance Report" honors 53 transgender, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary people who lost their lives to violence and 33 more who committed suicide -- which the report, in many instances, casts as the result of mental health struggles, prejudice, and discrimination.
Information on the deceased individuals was compiled from various news sources, LGBTQ advocacy organizations, social media, and community submissions. Each entry, categorized by the state where the deceased resided, includes photos, illustrations, and biographical information.
A man accused of committing a mass shooting at a bar and a bowling alley in Maine reportedly "liked" a number of social media posts from right-wing figures and influencers, including several anti-transgender posts.
Maine State Police are currently searching for a "person of interest" in the shooting, identified as 40-year-old Robert Card, a firearms instructor and member of the U.S. Army from Bowdoin, Maine. They describe him as "armed and dangerous."
Card allegedly shot up Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday evening, killing at least 18 people and injuring 13 others, according to The Associated Press.
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