Does Reynolds cry crocodile tears for trans Iowans?
A Letter From Iowan Gordie Felger
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An edition of Evening Heartland earlier this year recalled a 2023 story titled “Governor, spare us your fake concern for trans kids.” Laura Belin wrote it after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed two bills that target transgender minors (bans on transition health care and restroom access). Both laws and the hurtful narratives surrounding them increase the physical and emotional risk for Iowa’s trans kids.
At the time, a Des Moines Register article quoted Reynolds as saying, “My heart goes out to them. I’m a parent, I’m a grandmother, I know how difficult this is. This is an extremely uncomfortable position for me to be in. I don’t like it. … My heart breaks. … It’s not easy for me either. … So I just, I hope they know that.”
Yes, Gov. Reynolds, your discomfort is sure to console the kids and families whose human rights you stripped away. Your “broken heart” is hardly a convincing show of empathy.
This year, Reynolds enacted a law that drops gender identity as a protected class under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. Why? Because civil rights protections threatened to undermine the enforcement of Iowa's unconstitutional anti-trans laws.
Does her heart still break? Apparently, it recovered over the past two years.
Reynolds said of the civil rights change, “We all agree that every Iowan, without exception, deserves respect and dignity. We are all children of God, and no law changes that.”
Well, it seems some of God’s children are more deserving than others.
Gordie Felger
Hiawatha, Iowa
Note: On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling that allows states to ban affirming care for transgender minors. On social media, Gov. Reynolds reacted with one sentence: “A victory for our children!”
This originally appeared on Felger’s Substack, wtfiowa.substack.com, before Wednesday’s ruling.
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thanks for the essay. Just read: It Is Good That Trans People Exist--They are a blessing, not a problem. -Noah Berlatsky=Jun 19
://open.substack.com/pub/noahberlatsky/p/it-is-good-that-trans-people-exist?r=9e9e3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
Reynolds’ fake concern for issues troubling Iowans seems to be her brand these days. E.g. she claims “concern” for landowners’ rights, yet vetoes the eminent domain bill.