What is happening in Iowa?

On February 28, 2025, Kim Reynolds signed a bill into Iowa law which repeals the 1965 amendment to the 1964 Civil Rights Act. In layman’s terms, she removed civil rights protections for transgender and gender queer Iowans. This takes away protections preventing discrimination based on gender identity, meaning that when this law takes effect on July 1, landlords will be allowed to kick out or turn away tenants for being trans. Businesses will be allowed to deny service to trans individuals. Companies will be allowed to fire employees for being trans. Some legal experts, namely Roxanne Conlin, are concerned about whether the Iowa constitution will still allow for due process in civil cases regarding discrimination. 

“We do have a constitution in the state of Iowa that guarantees due process and that guarantees equal protection of the laws. We’re going to see whether or not those constitutional provisions protect transgender people,” Conlin said. 

This new law is concerning for a number of reasons. There are the concerns of how this will affect trans people directly, which have been addressed in a prior article in this series. Aside from that, there are also concerns about what this means for the state as a whole, for the government specifically. These concerns sprout from the fact that Iowa has, in recent history, been a very democratic state. It was the third state to legalize same-sex marriage on April 3, 2009. Two years prior to this, it added sexual orientation and gender identity into its Civil Rights Act. Activists across the country have stated that this is a smudge on Iowa’s history and a detrimental addition to its future. This law will effectively take us back in time, and not in the fun sci-fi way. 

Reynolds has built up quite the legacy of hate throughout her eight years in office. This is mainly seen in her hate speech against many different minority groups and doing her best to pass bills to make these people’s lives hard. One outstanding example of this is her stance on abortion. Despite being a woman herself, she signed the ‘Heartbeat Law’ into law, taking away Iowan women’s rights, including her own.

“As we begin 2020, I’m focused on the overall wellness of all Iowans, in every part of the State, in all stages of life. And when I say all stages of life, I mean to include the unborn. We must protect life by making clear, through an amendment, that our constitution does not grant a right to abortion. It’s time, and unfortunately it’s necessary,” Reynolds said. 

This instance holds such importance in demonstrating her hateful, ignorant ideals. Along with this example, a 2022 political ad showcased Reynolds racism through the use of harmful black stereotypes meant to be associated with her opponent Deidre Dejear. While some have taken the stance that these could have been accidental, Laura Belin of Bleeding Heartland column disagrees.

“Nothing happens in a campaign commercial by accident. Strategists plan out every word and image, with the candidates approval,” Belin said. 

Both of these appalling instances reveal Reynolds’ lack of information on issues which she governs, or at the very least her lack of willingness to use her information. This is infuriating for those negatively affected by her ignorance, however those who agree with her seem to share this level of incompetence.

Grammatical hate

Pronouns are a critical piece of every language, yet they remain so misunderstood. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a pronoun is a word that can function by itself as a noun, and refers to the participants in a situation (e.g. I, you), or a subject elsewhere is a situation (e.g. she, it, this, they). Recently, pronouns have been causing discourse as apparently few people understand what they are. Some netizens have claimed that pronouns are unnecessary and confusing. If one went through this article and removed the pronouns, it would be incoherent. This is because pronouns are a basic piece of grammar, which is necessary in any language in order to be understandable. The idea of pronouns is also applicable to everyday speech. Let’s say that a woman asks to be referred to as ma’am or miss, it’s such an easy switch that many won’t even think about it. So, why is it different when someone asks to be referred to with they/them pronouns? Simple answer, it isn’t. At least, it shouldn’t be.

Those who argue against the use of non-gender specific pronouns tend to argue that they/them is meant to be used for groups of people, this is a foolish notion. One of the most famous examples which negates this idea is Shakespeare. Shakespeare created numerous words and grammatical structures throughout his time writing, and while the singular use of they/them pronouns isn’t one of them, it is one which he frequently employed. Along with him, Geoffery Chaucer, Jane Austen, and Charles Dickens also frequently used this grammar rule. Considering that these authors are considered revolutionaries within the realm of language, one should never listen to the grammar advice of someone who disagrees with their uses of pronouns, especially when that grammar advice is meant to disrespect someone. 

The development of disrespect 

Moving into the theme of disrespect, we can begin to explore what exactly transphobia is, and why the ideals within it are so unfounded. Transphobia is the dislike of a person or group of people due to being gender queer or gender nonconforming. Transphobia consists of three central pieces: prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination. One of the most common manifestations of transphobia is making derogatory jokes. One short comparison between the pyramid of violence and a modern history of violence can explain why these jokes contribute so heavily to an unsafe culture. 

The pyramid of hate is a diagram used to categorize the escalation of violence from disrespectful jokes all the way up to genocide. This diagram is significant when discussing discrimination as it clearly demonstrates that the hate which backs genocide is built on a foundation of accepting less directly harmful behaviors. The lowest level is titled ‘Biased Attitudes’ which includes stereotyping, microaggressions, insensitive remarks, etc.. Just above that is ‘Acts of Bias’ including bullying, dehumanization, slurs/epithets, etc.. Then we come to ‘Discrimination’ which is a popular word few seem to understand the weight of. This category includes economic, political, educational, housing, and employment discrimination along with segregation. The second to last tier is ‘Bias Motivated Violence’. This includes all types of assault, rape, murder, terrorism, vandalism, etc.. Finally, we land on ‘Genocide’. Genocide is the act or intent to deliberately and systematically annihilate an entire group of people. 

Currently, Iowa is around the discrimination level of the pyramid, but there have been a fair few instances of bias motivated violence in Iowa’s history. This escalation occurs when harmful behaviors on the lower levels are excused and normalized. The only way to prevent escalation is to shut down harmful behaviors before they proceed. Even if something is technically legal or becomes technically legal, it will never be right to discriminate against or harm others for something uncontrollable. Lawfulness does not equate to righteousness. Unless there’s an increase in political dissention or a sudden shift to a democratic Iowan government, we can expect some level of escalation. 

Throughout the politics of identity, it is easy to become discouraged or scared for the future. For many, the current political climate feels hopeless. However, it only becomes hopeless when one chooses to give up. In times like these, which many would call unprecedented, the only option is to move forward and fight for the future. Even if that future seems impossible.