DES MOINES, Iowa — A new study bill introduced by Governor Reynolds would require anyone who has undergone certain surgeries to medically transition genders, to display both gender markers on legal documents like driver's licenses or birth certificates.
HSB 649 would also strictly define terms such as "man", "woman" and "sex", requiring state officials to identify individuals solely by their sex assigned at birth.
Local 5 spoke with the mother of a transgender child, Heather Ryan, who shared concern about the potential legislation.
"By intentionally outing my child on their birth certificate, on their driver's license, on every single form of identification they're gonna have for the rest of their lives, she's [Reynolds] making them constantly be outed to people who may or may not agree with their lifestyle," Ryan said. "And that is constantly putting my child in danger."
The bill was introduced on Thursday, Feb. 1, just one day after a subcommittee unanimously declined to advance a bill that would've removed gender identity as a protected civil right in Iowa.
"We were so excited. It's like we had won the Super Bowl ... And then before you could actually just pour the champagne, it's like they just punch you in the gut again," Ryan said.
Reynolds shared a statement on the bill:
“Women and men are not identical; they possess unique biological differences. That’s not controversial, it’s common sense. Just like we did with girls' sports, this bill protects women’s spaces and rights afforded to us by Iowa law and the constitution. It’s unfortunate that defining a woman in code has become necessary to protect spaces where women’s health, safety, and privacy are being threatened like domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers. The bill allows the law to recognize biological differences while forbidding unfair discrimination.”
Ryan said her child faces a constant battle every day.
"How hard it is already to be going through school in this day in age as a different child? It's so hard," Ryan said. "They come back every day in a different kind of mood and I never know, I never know."
And Ryan thinks this newest proposed legislation, on top of previous bills, is heightening the difficulty of that battle.
"I don't know how to stay supportive," Ryan said. "I know that if I want to continue my child's trans care, I have to go to another state."
Local LGBTQ+ organizations have also shared concerns with the bill.
“This bill is an affront to everything we’re about as Iowans," said Becky Tayler, executive director of Iowa Safe Schools. "Governor Reynolds has made it crystal clear that transgender Iowans are not welcome in their own state."
However, Ryan says that they will continue to show up and advocate, in hopes of sending a message.
"Its been so hard and so deflating, I'm gonna take that one win we had and I'm still gonna celebrate It as best I can, but the next day when we had another fight on our hands, I'm ready to pick up the boxing gloves and start fighting again," Ryan said.
The bill was referred to the House Education Subcommittee on Thursday. Several lobbyists have officially declared their opposition to the bill, but the future of the legislation is up in the air still.