Iowa's 'Bathroom Bill' heads to governor's desk
It now heads to the governor's desk to be signed into law.
It now heads to the governor's desk to be signed into law.
It now heads to the governor's desk to be signed into law.
In a 57-39 vote, Iowa House lawmakers passed Thursday that would require students only use bathrooms or locker rooms that correspond with the sex listed on their birth certificate.
The Iowa Senate passed SF 482 last week. It now heads to the governor's desk to be signed into law.
"You just want peeing to be simple for you like it is for everyone else," said Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City.
Debate about the so-called bathroom bill turned passionate in the Iowa House of Representatives.
"This isn’t about peeing, ladies and gentlemen, bathrooms have been identified by biology in the USA since 1887," said Rep. Steven Holt, R-Crawford County.
It was Holt against several Democrats.
"This is an attack on an already marginalized community in Iowa. As I've said so many times, it costs absolutely nothing to just leave people alone," said Rep. Sami Scheetz, D-Cedar Rapids.
"This is just another way of singling out kids, making them feel unwelcome, making them not feel accepted at school and it is state-sponsored bullying," said House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst.
Des Moines Democrat Austin Baeth says the new law is not only wrong, but also unenforceable.
"I don't want my kids to go to a school where adult staffers eyeing my children and trying to guess whether they have a penis or a vagina. That's what this is," Baeth said.
Holt disagrees.
"What about the legitimate concerns, safety concerns, and privacy concerns, of our daughters who don’t want to change clothes in front of a biological male? Or young men who don't want to change clothes in front of females," Holt said.
Sheetz says the bill is all about hate.
"The mom of a transgender child came up to me, tears streaming down her face, and asked me, why does my government hate my kid? We have a governor bullying people for being different," Sheetz said.
The bill also allows any Iowa residents to submit complaints to the state if they believe someone is in violation of the bill. If the school does not remedy the violation, the Iowa attorney general is authorized to investigate.
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