Friend –

It's been a tough legislative session, but one important positive is that every single, terrible anti-transgender bill didn't make it past last Friday's "funnel" deadline.

It was appalling and harmful that these bills were ever introduced:

• Legislation that would ban trans kids from competing in sports with other students of the same gender.
• A bill that would prohibit doctors from giving gender-affirming care to minors.
• Legislation that would ban students at school from using the restroom that matches their gender.
• So-called "religious freedom" legislation that would allow businesses and others to discriminate against LGBTQ individuals, among others, because they felt their religion permits them to do so.

It seems that collectively the Iowa Legislature has gotten the memo that these discriminatory laws are bad for the economy. States that have passed laws that brutally discriminate against LGBTQ communities have been boycotted and seen their economies damaged.

We also hope the Iowa Legislature has also gotten this crucially fundamental message: LGBTQ and transgender people belong in Iowa and they deserve to be treated with the same respect and equal treatment as anyone else.

With appreciation,

Mark Stringer
Executive Director, ACLU of Iowa