Sunday, February 26, 2023

Republican mythology and non-conformance facts

It's beginning to look like gender-affirming health care for young people will be the next target for Iowa's Republican majority in the state Legislature --- hardly a surprise during a session where anti-queer proposals have ranged from the absurd (criminalizing attendance at a drag show) to the downright dangerous.

Iowa Starting Line's Nikoel Hytrek had an informative piece headlined, "Iowa Doctors Correct Republican Reps On LGBTQ Health Care Myths," dealing with testimony before the House Government Oversight Committee by Dr. Katie Imborek, co-director of the University of Iowa LGBTQ+ Clinic, and Dr. Dave Williams, the chief medical officer for UnityPoint Health.

And Bleeding Heartland published an excellent piece by Tipton-based advocate and activist Deb VanderGaast (left) headlined "Unchecking the Box." VanderGaast, the Democratic candidate for Iowa Senate District 41 in 2022, uses the context of her own childhood gender non-conformity to illustrate some of the challenges faced by non-conforming youngsters in Iowa schools today.

Gender non-conformity, by the way, does not refer specifically to transgender people. It can be as simple as, let's say, a girl who would prefer to play football rather than lead cheers or a guy who would rather lead cheers than play football. We're just talking about behavior or appearance that challenges the stereotypes adults cherish about their little boys and little girls.

Anyhow, both are worth a read on a Sunday morning when we can, at the least, celebrate the fact the Legislature has taken a day off.


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