All right we are going to call this public hearing to order uh we’d like to thank everybody for coming out tonight uh you are seated at the table and somewhat around as the house education committee members of both Republican and Democrat Party uh tonight we have an
Hour allotted for this public hearing it will start from the minute uh Denise begins Her speech you have two minutes to speak uh I will cut you off at 2 minutes uh I will not allow the heckers veto to take place tonight so if we
Cannot be heard in this room room I will pause the hearing I will not add additional minutes at the end and I will ensure the person that was speaking will get to to speak for their full two minutes uh that is at the discre discretion of the chair so we want to
Make sure when we’re in here that we can hear everybody I can talk loud into the mic but some people are a little bit quieter if you cannot hear the person speaking you need to let me know okay whether you give me a a baseball hand signal or something like that okay I
Need to know and then I we will address it uh we will have pro and con go and we’ll go back and forth and until the time is done at this time we will go ahead and start we’ll finish at 6:01 Denise floor is yours okay well thank you representatives for hosting this
Public um hearing and I appreciate each and every one of you state representatives for all you do my name is Denise bubeck I’m of the church Ambassador Network and we stand in support of HF 2389 with some possible amendments and clarifications we are very thankful to have Governor Reynolds
Bring this bill forward Iowa will join other states who are leading for women it is legislation based on biological truth actually none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for biology God created woman and man period as a grandmother of a beautiful granddaughter
I want her to grow up in a world where she is clearly defined and protected by her biological sex so today is the day to codify biology right now females are losing safe spaces while biological men are gaining access into sororities women prisons domestic violence shelters and
Rape centers women and girls are who speak truth on biological differences of male and female are getting silenced and cancelled this must stop this bill does not curb the rights of others it simply makes the law recognize the biological differences between the Sexes and protects their rights thank you for
Bringing this bill forward so that women will continue to enjoy the freedoms they have and they will for generations to come and today thank you for with with all of this noise that we hear I am sometimes disappointed by that disappointed that we cannot maintain a civil discourse so thank you chairman
Wheeler for talking about that today thank you next hold on just for the record when you guys come whoever’s seated just stay there when you speak and we’ll just have the next person fill the next seat and when you’re speaking get up on there tight howdy y’all my name is Max moitz
With one Iowa and I am in opposition to this bill the first thing I want to say is that I am here as a proud Iowan I believe that we all have that in common I am here because I love this state and I am here because I want a better future
For all Iowans it cannot be stressed enough that this bill will impact domestic violence and sexual assault services for Iowans I’ve been engaged in sexual assault and domestic violence work for years and am a survivor myself I have seen firsthand the ways that trans people especially black Trans women are disproportionately impacted by
Violence this legislation will cost us precious lives because it creates the possibility that all of the domestic violence organizations may lose some of the little funding that they do have I’ve worked with these organizations and heard the issues they’re facing loss of funding should not be added to the list
Also loss of funding for domestic violence programs actively harms the very women you purport to be protecting it harms all women regardless of if you see them as such this bill will also harm many lgbtq Iowa families people that I love are raising children here and making our state better I am
Watching their babies grow up I refuse to think of these families simply as a Workforce that we desperately need to keep these are workers yes but they are community members and volunteers and people that you could call if you need a meal these people are the reason that
Iowa is beautiful to me I know that this legislation will scare many lgbtq folks and they will leave but I cannot bring myself to do the same I remember in high school when we added gender uh identity to the Civil Rights bill and when we were third in the nation to get same-sex
Marriage I remember that because that was when I knew that I had a future here in Iowa being in Iowan is just as important to me as being trans this is my state too every time I come to this capital I am reminded of how much I love
A state that does not love me back I want people to live here raise their families here and make the state better I hope you do too please do not move forward with this Bill thank you thank you next my name is Steve da and I am here
Uh to express my support for the bill you will hear a lot of opinions here in the next hour um in in opposition to this bill you will hear no facts there are no facts in opposition to this because what we’re being asked to do is
To deny the most basic fact in human biology the first fact that was stated about every single person in this room no one ever was announced to the world as a non-binary construct the first thing said about every single person in this room is it’s a boy it’s a girl it
Is the most basic fact of existence the reason why the other side’s arguments sound like the insanity going on out in the retunda is because literally what they are arguing for is insanity what we’re being asked to do is ignore reality to redefine reality we are not permitted to redefine reality the worst
Mistakes made in human history occur when we attempt to every single atrocity had its basis in we get to redefine reality there is as much basis of fact in what you’re being asked to oppose as there would be for wearing a mask to stop an Airborne contagion of a
Respiratory virus which is to say none and that is why there needs to be intimidation and there needs to be shouting and there can’t be facts and there can’t be reason and there can’t be science because there is none to support the opposition to what you are doing all
You are doing is affirming the most and first basic fact of human existence we are all created either male or female that’s it period end of sentence thank you very much for the time thank you next hello my name is Alexandra St James
Gray and I am a proud Iowan I am also an out open transwoman and I know that people here are going to discuss facts and or science so I’m going to put my personal business out there for you when I decided to transition and I went to my
Doctor’s office my doctor told me that at the age that I started that I had the estrogen levels of an 18-year-old woman since everyone wants to discuss science now I’d like to ask the ask the body what dystopian novel are we in this time I’d like to know where we’re going
In history because I’m finding us slipping and going backward at one point in time people of color black people were were declared three- fifths of a person person I’d like to know what percentage of a person queer people are going to get so that I can base my life
Around it you’ll see a lot of people walking in with the pink triangle I’m not sure if you’re aware what that symbol is it’s the symbol that gays and lesbians and trans people were made to wear during World War II when Hitler sent people to concentration camps so I
Live at the intersection of black and queer I need to ask you where are you sending me to a concentration camp or back to a plantation again I need to figure out where I’m going in my life I oppose this bill because it will destroy people it will place people in a
Line of fire it will destruct people this bill is literally playing with lives and understand that you all aren’t making laws for yourselves you are making laws for generations to come no I’m not here trying to take any Woman’s Place and I do understand exactly who I am but I made choices and
Decisions for myself that kept me here the choices that I made for myself kept me alive I’m a suicide survivor thank you thank you next good evening everyone hold on [Applause] Jordan hold on okay floor is yours thank you good evening everyone please turn your mic off Jordan
You gotta hit your the little guy there’s a little human on the right no yours is on okay good evening everyone I’m here to speak in favor of this bill I have swam and played water polo competitively my entire life and I like all other girls and women deserve the
Right to feel safe in our locker rooms and restrooms and everywhere else I’m speaking on behalf of all the girls and women who should be here and would be here but fear being labeled as transphobic or hateful or any of the other words going around right now if I
Were to share a concern about a man in my locker room or bathroom I would be met with backlash that is what is happening to girls and women everywhere girls and women are being assaulted in locker rooms and restrooms all over this country and many of us are being
Traumatized catching men staring at us while changing enough is enough I will not back down to the loud and hateful minority and urge everybody to speak out women fought for years for equal rights and I feel like all the hard work goes out the door when we allow men into
Women’s spaces this bill will protect girls and women across Iowa my rights do not end where someone else’s feelings begin please pass this Bill thank you thank you next my name is Brianna young I’m an attorney who has spent the last 20 years parsing legislation in my legal
Practice the language of house file 2389 is vague confusing and it will lead to unintended consequences section one defines female as a person whose biological reproductive system is developed to produce OVA many women have conditions where their reproductive systems are not developed to produce OVA take the 8 to 13% of women with
Polycystic ovary syndrome endometriosis is another example there are several their reproductive systems will never develop OVA so if you’re a person with PCOS this bill specifically erases you you are not a woman anymore under this bill and since the bill limits the definition of mother to a parent who is
Female then legally you’re not a mother anymore either section two provides that a new birth certificate must include the designation of male or female at Birth who gets to decide is it the doctor how does the doctor know when the baby’s born what the reproductive system is
Designed to do Do they base this on the newborn’s genitalia apparently not section one tells us that you need to base it on the internal anatomy and why does it matter what a 50-year-old man’s genitalia looked like at the time he was born anyway what is the state interest
In that this bill is so vague it’s sponsor doesn’t even know what it means section one says separate accommodations are not inherently equal when asked what equal does mean representative hor answered equal would mean um I assume that equal would mean I don’t know exactly in this context when the bill
Sponsor cannot tell you the purpose of the bill or what the bill means that is a problem I know the intention of this bill is to Target transgender siblings childrens other Iowans but believe me when I tell you there will be unintended consequences unless you vote no
Today thank you we’re we’re going to hold off because that gets loud we’re going to hold off until that stops [Applause] too Madam Chief clerk this is their warning if they continue to cheat and chant while supporters or the pro individuals are speaking we will just sit here thank [Applause]
You all right floor is yours thank you for allowing us to speak today my name is Jody jacqulyn and I am speaking in favor of this bill I want to talk simply and straight to the point since 2021 we have been informed to trust the science so we should not be
Picking and choosing what science to trust it is a proven scientific fact that XX chromosome is for the female and XY is male therefore I fully support this Bill thank you we’ll also hold off until she clears room as well floor is yours my name is Caleb
Belin solver and I am in opposition of this bill I actually wrote this at 2 a.m. in the morning right after sucking the boogers out of my 6mon nose and offering her tyen all because she’s teasing hearing her cry due to her discomfort because it feels outside of
Her control some of you may know what that feels like to the long nights and the days to care for your child I remember being so excited for these days as my wife and I navigated through the scariest parts of pregnancy again some of you know what that feels like but can
You imagine what it feels like to go through all of that to see your child grow to love you as much as you love them and have to look them in the eyes and tell them that people who could use their power for so much good would rather choose the destruction and
Delation of families in this bill you say the term equal does not mean same or value so I ask these changes being implemented are they actually to help your constituents combat the very pervasive experiences of inequality such as housing discrimination job security violence to self or others to make the
World more Equitable fair and therefore just or are these changes recommended because you devalue the lives of trans and queer people and parents I’d hope that I wouldn’t have to look you in the eye then also my daughter and to tell her that the state that was once ahead
Of the game in creating equality and justice has leaders to use their power to devalue and delegitimize in creating law and writing loving families that wipe the same boogers and comfort the same teething children as you i’ hope I can share with my daughter who has two mothers that we have legislators that
Care about every single family and want to create a world where people belong or would you rather tell my child or have me tell my child that our politicians could care less about her vote we’ll hold off until she clears as well sir would you turn your mic off there thank
You floor is yours I’m Amber Williams I’m a mother and I’m a supporter of this bill let me start off by saying that this bill defines our most basic truth that even our children understand I’ll give you an example in 1990 the movie Kindergarten Cop was released one of the
Most famous lines was said by a six-year-old boys have a penis and girls have a vagina a simple matter of AA statement of two Sexes articulated by a child today that truth is being Twisted by a gender ideology experiment promoted to our children children have become victims of disturbing and irresponsible
Treatments as misguided adults impose a confused ideology on the most innocent and vulnerable in 2021 roughly 42,000 minors across the US were diagnosed with gender dysphoria nearly triple the number in 2017 we have to ask why we know gender ideology has been working its way into public schools for years in
Both curriculum and extracurricular activities on a parallel track kids have been overstimulated with gender ideology propaganda through social media influencers this indoctrination has fueled identity confusion and has created a crisis that ignores that two Sexes are meant by Divine Design to be different and complimentary each having
Equal dignity and made in the image of God this bill p p passage is urgent as new gender ideologies emerge the lies being told will impact all children that are developing a self-understanding as a boy or a girl man or a woman a potential husband or wife father or mother a
Structure that our society was built on and thrives on I ask you to protect our children by passing this bill especially our girls we as women should not have to share our safe spaces with a man period ever this not only violates our privacy but also places our safety at risk and
Equally important to stop the current efforts to redefine sex to include gender identity a movement to to dissolve sex is a stable legal category these attempts would create legal chaos and that is not a world that can Thrive thank you thank you floor is yours thank you my name is Matthew mcgyver I’m
From De Mo um even in just a bit I’ve been in here I’ve heard a great deal of misinformation others can tell you about the risk this bill May pose to trans folks or the damage this may do to Iowa families I am the father of lgbtq Youth
And I’m here to tell you why it’s bad policy Iowa needs to attract and retain Talent two-thirds of Iowa County’s lost population in the last year for which I’m aware that there are numbers we have gained National and international attention for an attempt to ins the debunked discredited and disgraced
Language of py versus Ferguson in Iowa law separate is not equal in the United States and it hasn’t been since Brown V board I am an Iowan by choice I moved my pregnant wife here in 2008 to found an organization called the de Mo Social Club months later the varnum decision
Came down and one Iowa held its celebration at that club it was a beautiful day I would not advise people I love to move to Iowa today Iowa businesses compete not just regionally not just with our neighbor States but nationally and internationally for talent overreach like this that is legislating things that government
Should stay out of makes it harder for our businesses to attract to people to live work and play in Iowa our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain only if we maintain the rights of all Ians otherwise even if you don’t care about this particular group of
Vulnerable Ians government overreach in future administrations and legislatures may come for people that you do care about I would urge you to protect the rights of all Ians to take on projects that benefit all Ians such as stopping the slide in our public education supporting our infrastructure and giving local
Control where local decisions and accountability can reside end the divisive copycats of other states failed policies and protect the rights of all Ians and our competitiveness on the world stage I thank you for your time thank you [Applause] hello my name is Laura Becker and I’m here today because I was harmed by the lie that biological sex doesn’t matter when I was a child I was was a tomboy having a hard time fitting in and struggling with depression and anxiety I was do diagnosed in the autism spectrum
And experienced chronic psychological and emotional abuse from a parent these issues destroyed my self-esteem and led to constant rumination about self harm and suicide hold on Laur all right floor is yours in high school I learned about being transgender online and in my school’s LGBT Club gender and queer
Ideology told me that some people’s identities in essence their gender Souls don’t match their biological sex because of the trauma I was suffering I desperately wanted to escape the pain in my body and become my highest self it felt like a Liberation that my biological sex didn’t matter and that I
Could be free from the constraints of stereotypical social norms despite being being suicidal I was medically affirmed as a male prescribed testosterone to inject weakly into my thigh and approved to have my healthy breast removed being told that it was medically necessary to validate my confused identity regretfully none of the gender
Transition procedures helped my mental health in fact I was soon diagnosed as having even more PTSD from living in the delusion that I could change my biological sex I share my story because in Iowa we have the opportunity to prevent trauma like I went through by admitting that biological sex is real
And that having negative feelings about one’s body doesn’t mean that nature can be changed I’ve learned through the bitter pill of trauma that lying about gender identity damages are most vulnerable and that children and adults should be safeguarded from experiencing a tragedy Like Mine by passing informed
Laws that are based in science and not a misguided spiritual and ideological belief thank you thank you floor is yours hello my name is Annie sarone and I am the director of the quer youth Resource Center as well as a member of the trans Community which I am very proud of and I
Am a very happy living trans person here in Iowa I am asking you to vote no on this bill I’ve sat in quite a few of these meetings and watched as bills have been moved forward with no data to back them up I’ve watched as our state continues its hateful attack on the
Lgbtq plus and trans Community I am confused and frustrated why we are here discussing the concept of separate but equal and how our governor believes this bill is constitutional when we all know separate but equal is inherently unconstitutional this bill is nothing more than retaliation from our governor
As a way to make up for the fact that hf288 bill failing and I’d like to speak on that some of you made the decision not to pass that why because you didn’t feel the information given was enough and you knew it would do harm you knew
That people would be direct affected and you listen to the people that would be directly affected are you listening to us are you listening to them out there do you actually have the accurate information to pass this through on good conscience at the end of the day what is the value besides harming
0.29% of Iowa state population I am asking you to vote no on this bill I’m asking you to look at me a human being someone who gives back to their Community who loves living in Iowa look at me and tell me my right should be separate from others that a designator
Marker on my birth certificate is necessary that my community deserves this harm that is being caused then look at yourselves will you be able to answer to the god you preach about to invoke my Catholic upbringing Isaiah 56 3-5 States for thus says the Lord to the unic who
Keep my sabbaths who choose the things that please me and hold fast my Covenant I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than Sons and Daughters I will give them an everlasting name that should not be cut
Off he has given me this life not you and you won’t succeed in taking it away thank you thank you floor is yours my name’s Todd ersen I could have sworn we solved all this two years ago when my daughter brought 50 of her friends down here to save girl
Sports because at the first subcommittee meeting and there’s not a person in this room and there’s not a person out there who doesn’t know what a woman is because when they got here and they saw the Optics of what a real woman looks like they went and caucused the Democrats for
Three hours to make those girls go away it was game over we all know what a woman is 1 plus 1 equals two but they’ve got a different math to teach we send our kids to school thinking they’re going to get an education they fertilize and water them with
Pornography with pronouns with social emotional learning and that’s how we get all this tolerance and diversity out there there was just a meta Study last week released no matter how much we butcher their bodies with surgery they’re still just as depressed they’re just still as prone to suicide when they
Get out of there and here’s a fun fact recently Colorado Spring shooter nonbinary Nashville school shooter trans aine shooter trans Denver school shooter trans Iowa school shooter trans Lakewood Church shooter trans yet here they still are they will not pump the brakes Coast to Coast Maine California I
Believe Washington if you don’t agree with this though they’re promising you they’re going to come into your house and take your kids might I suggest that we’re not talking about tolerance and diversity anymore with this stuff if they’re promising to take your kids when they’re going insane
If the grown men are coming into your girls bathrooms might I suggest we’re dealing with domestic terrorism they can chant all they want a couple days ago we will not go silently we’ve come to that moment all right think about my daughter and the 50
Girls who came down there and put it on the line think of them continue what they started because whether they go silently or not we’re not the East Coast they need to go thank you thank you you want to turn your mic off or do you want to hit that thank
You floor is yours my name is Shay Daniels I am a proud American and I one I was a National Merit scholar in Maran I learned about leadership from Air Force ROTC in as and I have a degree in computer science from Iowa State I live love volunteer and Mentor here in De
Moine I contribute to Iowa’s technology economy and I pay taxes if you ask Governor Reynolds too much in taxes I also happen to be transgender as divisive as discussions like these can be I know we’re all here to build the best Iowa that we can we believe in the
Promise of America our state motto lights the way but the way forward is still hard reasonable people can disagree when rights appear to be in conflict and that’s okay I also know that it’s hard to understand what it’s like to be transgender and that’s okay
Too we can get by if we listen to each other as Ians and Ians are not the majority asking for this bill the Ians I talk to want an inclusive state that attracts the best people we can find regardless of their identity when I came out they accepted me despite their
Political party or religious beliefs and the women around me were the ones that told me that they felt safe with me that it was ridiculous that I had plan to go 18 floors down to use a gender neutral bathroom at work they told me that I was
Part of The Sisterhood that remains my highest honor I know in my brain and in my heart that I’m a woman Medical Science recognizes this fact I’m not delusional I’m not a threat to other women my identity is not a mental illness it is not something that can be
Erased from me through therapy or legislated away or even beaten out of me from being forced to use the wrong facilities it’s integral to who I am I’m not ignoring biology I’m accepting it everything we’ve learned tells us that sex and gender is a rich tapestry that
Is more complicated than a few sentences in black and white on a bill we simply don’t need this legislation it’s inaccurate reductive and does not improve the lives of Iowans there are better ways to achieve the promise of the safe and prosperous Iowa that we all
Want for this reason as a citizen of this state and as someone who would be erased and endangered by this bill I must ask you to vote against it please help me stay in the state that I love thank you thank you [Applause] w floor is yours my name is Shelley flart
And I’m here as a woman um I do love this bill we need to keep both men and women safe we need separate bathrooms including single ones when needed this this bill will keep women teens children safe in bathrooms locker rooms and dressing rooms in stores we also need
Women’s groups such domestic abuse groups to remain a safe space I needed a group to be with bi biological women only years ago I was it was about 25 years ago and I was a victim of domestic abuse um we need women’s sports to remain for women only hold on yeah
Floor is yours okay we we need women’s sports to remain for women only just this morning I was at CrossFit we have women’s prescribed we weights and men’s prescribed weights um it’s listed every single day that way and as a woman I will never l what a man can this is
Another space where there needs to be a def defined separation we don’t want to go backward women’s rights movement was one thing but Extreme feminism has gone so far as to invite biological males in spaces um and replace women with them again erasing women we also need to keep
Men safe the me too movement was just a couple years ago keeping men safe from dangers and accusations in locker rooms or restrooms is important as well we are for women we are women or men girls or boys confusion of G sh hold on for the
Purpose of this body we did not call this public hearing to hear one side so when one side is speaking we’re dead silent out there when another side is speaking we’re not we have people in here that are hard of hearing we have people in here especially in this corner
That cannot hear these speeches so shell I’m going to give you your time back and we’re going to hold off until that stops I know if you’re over here you can probably hear it fine but as I said ear we’re not going to have a heckler’s
Vetto I’ve had texts come in I’ve seen different faces and different things we have to be able to hear people even if we disagree with them so for this time we’re goingon to hold off a second and Shelley I would like you to start over when we get back to that completely
Over your call okay floor is yours all right and I’m going to start partway through we don’t want to go backward women’s rights movement was one thing thing but Extreme feminism has come gone so far as to invite biological males in and place them at the top
Instead of women again erasing women we also need to keep men safe the me too movement was only a few years ago keeping men safe from dangers or accusations in a locker room a restro is important for men too lastly there was a group here last week trying to silence
Me and Us by screaming over what we were trying to say during the time we spoke that’s what happened to women years ago or you know men too um we have the right to have a voice as well now there are biological men wanting to take it away again thank you
For this Bill thank you for the truth and thank you for keeping us safe okay I think we’re good floor is yours thank you so much I am Amy Wick andall I am an Iowan I am a transwoman I am a member of the hawaa city council and I rise in
Fierce opposition to this bill as all Americans should no one should have to come to the capital week after week after week to basically protest for their basic human rights and make no mistake this bill is a repeal of civil rights it is a full frontal assault on
The Civil Rights Act it is the first effort by a state government to rein reinstitute separate but equal since the 1960s and it is the most Brazen effort by our governor to erase trans and queer people from Iowa I rise in Fierce opposition to this bill and demand the
Government start telling the truth because in the 17 years since gender identity was added to the Civil Rights Act there has not been one instance of a trans person gaining access to women’s spaces or men pretending to be Trans in order to harass and assault women I would ask that our governor stop
Gaslighting Ians she would admit that she would admit that she is harming women and attacking their rights she has deprived women of the state to the right to their bodily autonomy by seeking a ban on abortion such actions make pregnancy much more dangerous deprives the state of OBGYN providers and creates
Maternity healthc care deserts I rise in Fierce opposition to this bill to speak for the hundreds of trans and queer people throughout the state who cannot be here today we are tired of having to see queer youth afraid to go to school because this government has made it a
Hostile place we are tired of having to watch our friends and family move out of state because the place they call home is no longer safe and we are tired of being targets of conniving politicians who attack our Humanity slander our dignity just to score cheap political
Points and fundra it off of their failure of governance queer and trans people have had enough we are human beings we are American citizens we are Ians and we do not deserve the abuse we’re getting from our government We rise in United opposition to this bill
It is a front to our values and the words written on our flag our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain reject this Bill thank you floor is yours hello I’m Courtney Collier I’m here in support of this bill the most Supreme and loving being in the universe
Almighty and Sovereign God created each of us in this room today he created US male and female with order purpose and truthful design for Life the author of confusion deception and death Satan the devil deceives people into believing lies about who they are resulting in their suffering Isaiah 5:20 through 21
Says woe to those who call evil good and good evil who put Darkness for light and light for Darkness who put bitter for sweet and Sweet for bitter woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight that’s what we are here to discuss today telling each
Other the truth the idea that some believing they are wise in their own eyes are attempting to change the meaning of words this legislation is simple truth it’s based on common sense and basic biology you cannot arbitrarily change the meaning of a word to suit Your Personal Agenda or belief people
Can however choose to live delusion or confusion in their own life and home but the rest of us should not be forced to join them I am a woman an adult female human I am also a mother I have ovaries and a uterus that for nine months developed three humans and birth them
Out of my vagina after laboring for hours no man a person with a penis and testicles who changes their pronouns name or takes hormone blockers and puts on makeup in women’s clothing can do that it is truly ridiculous that we need to codify the definitions in this bill
And legislate to keep humans with penises and testicles also known as boys and men out of our designated for women spaces however here we are because the privacy and safety of girls and women are being disregarded and threatened biological females are being erased and replaced by this nonsensical social
Engineering Trend which is orchestrated by the Devil Himself please pass this bill to protect the actual biological girls women and mothers in Iowa thank you thank you we’re not changing floor is yours thank you Keenan Crow One Iowa uh there are a million things to say about this legislation but unfortunately I can’t
Say any of them with absolute Clarity because this legislation is not written for Iowa it is National legislation ported to Iowa without any regard to existing Iowa law and what that means is as previous speakers have mentioned we are looking at a nearly innumerable number of unintended consequences in our
Future now there may be those of you in this room or watching at home who think that this is a very simple Bill indeed we have heard legislators say this over and over again but I will warn you right now that the statutory construction section of the code is a very dangerous
Area of code to mess around in these are definitions that will apply and indeed override definitions in other statutes that already exist the word mother itself is mentioned 325 times in Iowa Code are you confident have you gone through each of these statutes to ensure that you haven’t created any unintended consequences
There because I’m not what about adopted mothers whose biological systems ultimately didn’t develop to produce OVA because of a condition like PCOS do they no longer deserve the same legal protections and processes simply because they don’t meet the narrowly constructed definition because that is ultimately what is going to happen you
Will pass this and tell yourselves that it’s all very simple and then Ians will suffer for something that sounds good but ultimately does not work the fact of the matter is this is not a simple bill it’s an incredibly complex bill and the way it shoes horns itself into Iowa Code
Makes it even more difficult to understand what will ultimately happen it may make for good headlines and good postcards but it does not make for good law so I will leave you this if this is indeed a woman’s Bill of Rights why is the League of Women Voters registered
Against it and if this is supposed to protect women in Rape Crisis and domestic violence shelters why are the organizations who are the experts in this field registered against it as well it’s because the bill doesn’t do anything that it reports to do and it certainly does not protect women thank you
Uh my name’s Josh Briggs hold on oh [Applause] sorry floor is yours perfect thank you my name is Josh Briggs I’m not with an organization I am talking uh in support of this bill um when I’m getting to know somebody at some point in the conversation it an EV inevitably turns
Towards family I’ll get asked do you have any kids to which I respond yes my wife and I have four little little kids they’ll respond how many and I’ll say four and they’ll ask you know the next question will be boys or girls and I’ll say I have four girls without question
Every time I say that to somebody their mouth widens a little bit and their eyes open and they’re like wow four girls you’re going to have fun teenage years without question no matter who it is why do they do that because there is a distinct difference that everybody in
This room knows between boys and girls it’s the universal understanding of that uniqueness of course I’ll have the rare opportunity where I’ll meet somebody with three or four girls and their response is always you better have enough cows and if you have a lot of girls like me you’ll understand that
There are never clean towels in our house I find it ridiculous that we’re sitting here having this conversation yeah here we are because our society is so painfully fragmented and like the schoolyard bully that forces someone to participate or stay quiet the activists outside of this room have forced the
Need for this legislation through their totalitarian tactics much as they’ve done throughout Academia and research especially in the field of social sciences it does not take a biologist to understand that males and females are different not just in sexual organs but size shape respiratory systems skin hair nervous system brain sensory and immune
Systems tissues the science is extremely clear and quite deep females have XX chromosomes and create eggs males have XY and create sperm and when you put the two together you maintain the human species by creating life in fact if you look at anemology of the word gender it
Starts with Jen or the Greek word genis which means that which produces endur which is short for der derivation or derivative the process for creating so the basis of gender and all actuality is about creating life at the you sir thank you Flor is yours okay thank you very
Much thank you for the opportunity um to speak to your committee my name is Wendy abrahamson and I’m an Episcopal priest and I represent the Episcopal dasis of Iowa uh we are declared in opposition to this bill and I have a statement from our Bishop uh the right Reverend Betsy
Monet um explaining the Theology and spirituality of of why we We Stand where we do I comment as the bishop of the Episcopal dasis of Iowa a faith leader in this state I oppose this bill in no uncertain terms this legislation is an unscientific and in inhumane attempt to
Punish transgender interex and gender non-binary people for wanting to live the lives that God created them to live every human being is created in the image of God and deserves to be treated with the dignity and respect that is due to God’s image this law would create a
Second class of humanity and even acknowledges that in the statement on line 16 separate accommodations are not inherently unequal which would be unnecessary to include in the law if it were actually true history and settled law tells us that there is no such thing as separate but equal and it is
Astonishing that this legislation would attempt to change that this law also lacks any background in the current scientific understanding of gender gender identity and gender expression which shows us that there’s no true binary in biological sex despite the attempt this law makes to Define it that
Way as a Christian leader I urge you to defeat this legislation in the name of the God who created all humanity and loves each individual uniquely including our transgender intersex and non-binary siblings thank you thank You thank you for inviting me hold on hold on hold on they’re going to do a [Applause] Switch Good floor is yours thank you for inviting me Kelly kooch Bachelor of Science degree University of Iowa College of Nursing master of science degree Rush University Chicago former director of the mercy heart and kidney organ transplant program For for all for for for all right Kelly I know you really really want to speak and I know we got others so get really loud into the mic thank you I want to take you inside of a issue and I mean literally uh former director of the organ transplant programs at
Mercy Hospital inside a body cavity Hearts kidney lung liver pancreas uh skin eyes the transplant centers across the country must match organs to viable and needy P needy patients so if you take a transgender situation where a male wants to be a female you remove the penis testicles you implant breasts you
Give hormone IV orally over a period of time and they come back to a medical center and are tested for a transplant their chromosomes do not change it’s female and male you can do any sort of anatomical surgery as well as cosmetic their bone shape is different the pelvic
Canal is different their brain size is different mandible dentition and even organ cavity pancreas liver hearts are usually larger for male although training as an athlete you can compensate that so no matter what happens to a patient and the extreme is an organ transplant they’ll come back to
The medical centers worldwide into a chromosomal panel and there still is xx and XY and that cannot be changed one woman and one man and that’s all the genders that there are thank you thank you all right floor is yours hello my name is Barry Stevens I’m 13 years old
And my pronouns are they them as a gender fluid teenager this law attempts to write me out of existence by twisting the meanings of gender and sex into one concept you’re intentionally hurting me my friends and my family boohoo for you though I am not and I will not go away
Because you seem to need a reminder gender is how we present ourselves to the world and sex is based on anatomical genetic and chromosomal details you can know my gender based on how I present and introduce myself however you can’t know my sex without access to my medical
Records genetic testing or you being a creep you could you could be solving real problems but instead you’ve been hyperfixated on gender and sex not keeping anyone safer but actively endangering lgbtq Ians I deserve to thrive here not just survive I’m counting on you to do your job and
Protect all the people of Iowa vote no and tell your colleagues to do the same thank you can you state your name again for us Barry Stevens thank you you are the last two the floor is yours talk loud into the mic get up close to
It thank you so much my name is JN Jones I am from Lynn County I’m a huge proponent to this bill we hear today they feel like a woman so that means they must transition for some this means to socially affirm through the use of pronouns hormone therapy and for others
This means surgically remove removing or constructing genitalia this is harmful damaging and irreversible when presented to a child as an option as a way out of of normal of the normal awkward stage in everyone’s life who wouldn’t take it children as young as 13 are making life
Decisions they will never be able to reverse and they end up taking their life but truthfully their life was taken from the moment they joined the cult to be a woman is is not to just look like a woman or act like a woman when you dress
Like a woman aren’t you stating how a woman dresses and acts when you curl your hair wear makeup and put on nylons or wear a bra you are stating that these are feminine characteristics that define a woman if it looks like a duck and quacks
Like a duck it must be a duck right wrong this is not applied to to today’s philosophy in defining what a woman is a woman is an adult human female though we are called complicated individuals it really is simple to Define our biological makeup let’s talk about
Feelings does a male who identify as a woman physically feel menstrual cramps or experience tender or painful breast that that happens at that time of year during their menstrual cycle or that time of month can can that same male experience a cycle with a surgically constructed vagina the answer is
No I find it insulting that we have legislators school board members and others in the position of authority that find it challenging to Define what a female is that’s unacceptable you’re supposed to be standing in truth ask anybody who initially bought into this lie of of transitioning their
Gender thank you thank you just stay here we’re gonna have uh well don’t have your name on there floor is yours thank you so much Representatives my name is Becky Taylor I’m the executive director of Iowa safe schools we were founded in 2002 and serve lgbtq students and their allies in all of
Iowa’s 99 counties uh if the intent of this legislation was to showcase the governor’s lack of knowledge on basic civil rights in this country I applaud her very much Brown versus Board of Education for those of us that did graduate 8th grade civics found that having separate but supposedly quote
Equal facilities was inherently unequitable and actually illegal if the term equal does not mean same or identical as this bill states can anyone in this room championing this bill clarify for me what the term equal means I guess I’m not quite sure what problem this bill is seeking to resolve
In attempting to Define sex the bill language actually ignores basic biology it outright ignores our intersex Iowans that live here people who are born with a combination of physically male and female reproductive organs hormone patterns biological patterns Etc which restrooms would the governor ask that these individuals use if this bill
Passes these are all questions that I would welcome answers to um I think it’s really important to remember that since 2007 we have had equal facility access for all Ians and in this time not once has there been an accusation of criminal conduct due to this accommodation not in a restroom not
In a locker room or in a school if this is still a concern I am happy to inform the folks in this hearing as well as those watching online that it is in fact already illegal for anyone to enter a facility with the intent to harass harm or invade the personal privacy of
Another Iowan uh it’s really a shame that we have to thank you so much thank you to everybody for coming out tonight uh shameful we weren’t able to get through more but that will conclude this public hearing thank you
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