Iowa Added to List of States Debating ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bills

House Files 8 and 9 are new bills in the Iowa House that have recently passed the committee. These bills propose policies that may affect members of the LGTBQIA+ community. Some advocates expressed concern that the bills if passed into law, could lead to devastating consequences.

House File 9 will “prohibit school districts and charter schools from facilitating any accommodation that is intended to affirm a student’s identity” without parental permission. Hannah Smith with Iowa Safe Schools, an LGBTQ youth advocacy group, addressed a potential safety issue that the law would pose. “Students would not be able to act based on their safety,” Smith said. “This bill would make that choice for them.” Smith, who is a former Waukee Middle School teacher, explained that there are a variety of reasons why some students might feel more comfortable approaching an educator as they adjust to their identity. “Sometimes the scariest people to tell are the people you love the most, and it just takes time to get there,” Smith said. “However, students should not be without adult support while determining when it’s best for them to share those aspects of their identities with their loved ones.” 

These views about this issue seem to be widely as much of the Iowa Legislators website page for this bill are negative comments. Some of the facts and information that the commenters state are very viable pieces of information in opposition to the bill’s enactment, which only helps further their point. One commenter, Nicholas Dunsdon, pointed out that a Vanderbilt study found how LGBTQIA+ individuals are 26 times more likely to commit suicide attempts. Along with this, the rate of trans for this statistic is 41% of people have attempted suicide. Dunsdon states “what will this accomplish?” However, this is not the only source that has identified this issue of suicide. Lesleyann Christenson, Waukee’s Mental Health Coordinator, stated “Here in Des Moines, the Crisis Stabilization Program for youth, located at Easter Seals has seen a disproportionate number of transgender youth experiencing a mental health crisis related to suicidal ideation. Those who do not feel they belong at school or are not accepted by their families or peers are more likely to attempt suicide or have suicidal thoughts. Public schools welcome all students and families, and would therefore benefit from being able to continue to serve students in ways that affirm how they see themselves.” With this overwhelming evidence of the issue, it is clear why many oppose this bill. 

House File 8 is an iteration of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill, which prohibits schools from teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Senior Ritika Shroff, a communications intern, was appalled by the proposed legislation, which is awaiting debate on the Iowa House floor. “As a state, we were one of the first to make gay marriage the law of the land. Now we are one of the many states asking kids to not mention gay marriage and even outing trans kids.” As an intern through School to Work, Ritika has witnessed the process for this bill firsthand. She stated, “this will isolate kids in the LGBTQ community more than ever,” Shroff said. “Especially when they are already getting isolated.” Another growing issue for this bill is the impact it may have on mental health for all students, not just the LGBTQIA+ community. Lesleyann Christensen, Mental Health Coordinator for Waukee, noted the focus on these bills could divert attention from the need for improved mental health services. “With all of the issues and concerns facing public schools, the attention and support HF 9 is getting could be better directed to fully fund public schools and address the gaps in our children’s mental health system and waiver programs,” she said. “We have real needs to address to better serve all students and I would hope these would be taken more seriously at the state capitol.”Kee Scroll attempted to reach out to several legislators working on the bill; however, none of them had responded as of press time.  

These yearning issues all create a storm of trouble in the Iowa House, which will be settled soon for better or for worse. We also attempted to reach out to several legislators working on the bill, however, none of them wanted to reach back. Overall, this issue stems from many of our lives and if this bill passes, may affect future lives as well.