Andrew Bellows
Staff Writer
Last year, numerous states passed bills restricting transgender girls from participating in girl’s high school and college sports. Iowa has now joined that long list. According to the Associated Press, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has paraded the bill as a “victory for girls sports.” Reynolds reiterated that this bill would assure a level-playing field and protect girls that play sports.
The bill requires that all prospective athletes must play with others that match the gender on their birth certificate. However, it isn’t quite clear how schools are supposed to implement the law. Any situation may not be as clear as it seems. Critics have claimed that this could lead to a certain ‘accusation-culture’, in which school administrators are accusing students of breaking the law by playing on a certain field.
While Reynolds has rallied around the bill’s passage, many have claimed that it was only passed to meet political rhetoric. Mark Stringer, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, said, “Today the state of Iowa bought into unsupported myths about transgender girls and women participating in sports — myths fueled by ignorance and fear.”
Those against the bill have said that this was never a significant issue to begin with. According to PBS, Reynolds was asked by local media outlets if she could bring up a specific example of a transgender girl outperforming a biological girl. Reynolds failed to bring up a precise event, but she maintained that the restrictions were needed in Iowa schools and universities.
While the firestorm around transgender sports bills continues, Florida announced the passage of a bill that limited LGBTQ discussion in schools on March 8. According to Reuters, the bill outlaws discussion of sexual orientation in schools. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been a proponent for the bill, as well as a long-time supporter of the notion that parents should have more say in what their children learn in schools. The law specifically bans discussion for ages 5-9, from kindergarten to third grade. In response, the Biden administration criticized state efforts targeting the LGBTQ community as a whole.
While Iowa and Florida continue the trend of legislation against the LGBTQ community, many have come to challenge these laws as being unconstitutional. However, it will take years for these cases to fully solidify themselves and for their effects to be felt. Many fear that in the future, LGBTQ youth could be negatively affected by these laws.
