🚨 URGENT ACTION ALERT – Iowa Civil Rights Removal Act (HSB 242) 🚨

The Iowa legislature has introduced the most dangerous bill we’ve ever seen. The Iowa Civil Rights Removal Act (HSB 242) would:

❌ Strip transgender Iowans of protections under the Iowa Civil Rights Act

❌ Remove the ability for Iowans to update gender markers on their birth certificates

❌ Erase transgender Iowans under the law

❌ Weaken protections for intersex and cisgender Iowans who don’t fit rigid gender norms

This bill is expected to have a hearing on Monday, February 24th, in the afternoon. We don’t know the exact time or room, but we will update you with details as soon as possible. Whenever it is, we will need YOU at the Capitol to show legislators we will not stand by while they push this harmful bill forward.

Here’s what you can do NOW:

👉 Contact subcommittee members Holt and Fett and demand they reject this bill

👉 Reach out to the Republican members of the House and tell them to STOP this hateful, dangerous legislation.

Find everything you need to send those emails on our website: https://oneiowaaction.org/iowacivilrightsremovalact/

As always, our team is fighting for you. If you need resources, please reach out to us.

This bill is being fast-tracked, so please follow OneIowa Action (Facebook, Twitter, website, Anti-LGBTQ bill tracker) to find out how and when you can act most effectively to oppose its passage.

The U.S. Agency for International Development was first created in 1963, during the Cold War, as a way of exercising soft power worldwide and combating the spread of authoritarian systems like Communism. In a nutshell:

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the United States’ government agency that leads international development and humanitarian assistance efforts to partner countries.

We work together with individuals, communities, and countries globally to improve everyday lives. USAID’s efforts provide humanitarian assistance, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance, advance economic opportunities, and help achieve progress beyond programs. Our work benefits people around the world, including those in the United States. USAID’s investments help achieve sustainable development progress, advancing our collective security, health, and prosperity.

Although the agency’s website isn’t currently available, you can still find it through the Internet Archive if you want to learn more about its programs.

USAID was established by an act of Congress in 1961. Its spending is determined by Congress using the “power of the purse.” The president does not have (and should not have) the power to put in place the spending freeze that the Republican administration has put in place.

On top of that, according to the Iowa Farmers Union, USAID spends large amounts on Iowa agricultural products. The cuts to federal spending could harm Iowa’s economy by causing over-production by Iowa farms.

What to do: Call your Senators and Representative today and urge them to take action to ensure that USAID continues its vital work. Consider mentioning:

• USAID is pro-democracy.

• USAID helps Iowa farmers and the Iowa economy.

• They should not allow the Executive to usurp Congressional powers this way.

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Call the White House and tell them that you do not support ending USAID’s important work. Consider mentioning:

• USAID is vital to Iowa’s economy.

• Iowa farmers support continuing USAID’s work because it helps them, too.

White House Comments Line: 202-456-1111

Updated February 9:

People are having trouble getting through to the switchboard. If you don’t know who your Congressperson is, you can find your Senators here and your Representative here. If you are in Iowa, here are direct numbers for each of our state’s reps’ offices:

Senator Ernst:

• Cedar Rapids (319) 365-4504

• Council Bluffs (712) 352-1167

• Davenport (563) 322-0677

• Des Moines (515) 284-4574

• Sioux City (712) 252-1550

• Washington, D.C. (202) 224-3254

Senator Grassley:

• Cedar Rapids (319) 363-6832

• Council Bluffs (712) 322-7103

• Davenport (563) 322-4331

• Des Moines (515) 288-1145

• Sioux City (712) 233-1860

• Waterloo (319) 232-6657

• Washington, D.C. (202) 224-3744

Representative Feenstra:

• Council Bluffs (712) 256-5653

• Fort Dodge (515) 302-7060

• Sioux City (712) 224-4692

• Washington, D.C. (202) 225-4426

Representative Hinson:

• Cedar Rapids (319) 364-2288

• Dubuque (563) 557-7789

• Waterloo (319) 266-6925

• Washington, D.C. (202) 225-2911

Representative Miller-Meeks:

• Davenport (563) 232-0930

• Indianola (515) 808-6040

• Washington, D.C. (202) 225-6576

Representative Nunn:

• Creston (641) 220-9093

• Des Moines (515) 400-8180

• Ottumwa (641) 220-9641

• Washington, D.C. (202) 225-5476

If you are not in Iowa, you can use the “find your representative” links above or Google to find your Senators’ and Representative’s phone numbers for local offices.

The 2024 election is coming up faster than you think on November 5, 2024. You can prepare yourself by making sure you can vote and have a plan to vote.

Voter Registration

Make sure you are registered to vote. If you are in Iowa, check your registration status on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website here. If you are not in Iowa, find out where to check your registration status through the League of Women Voters’ Vote 411 website tool here.

After you’ve checked your status, encourage your friends to do the same. New laws in Iowa and throughout the country have made it easier than ever to un-register voters.

Voting Options

Make sure you know the timeline for voting options in your state. If you are in Iowa, you can learn about your options for absentee voting on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website here or find out what your county auditor’s website says about it by finding your auditor’s office here. If you are not in Iowa, you can fill out the form on the League of Women Voters’ Vote 411 website and find out about absentee voting deadlines here.

After you’ve found out about your voting options, encourage your friends to do the same.

Make a Plan

A 2008 study showed that helping people make a plan to vote increased voter turnout by 4.1%. Make a promise to yourself, and encourage your friends to do the same, that you will vote on or before election day, November 5, 2024.

Vote!

Make sure you follow through with your voting plans by marking your calendar, to-do list, or whatever other tools you use to keep yourself organized.

Over the past few weeks, the Supreme Courts of the United States and of Iowa have issued several decisions with alarming implications. You can read our full piece about those decisions here. The TLDR? As Representative Elijah Cummings said, “When it seems like you can’t do anything, do something. Don’t say it’s too big or too oppressive to overcome. Start. Try. Now.”

Choose a cause and find an organization that fights for that cause. Join up, and give them your time, talents, or treasure. Here are some options to consider.

For reproductive rights:

• Emma Goldman Clinic has been providing reproductive services to Iowans for decades and will continue to do so within the bounds of the law.

• National Abortion Federation’s mission is “to unite, represent, serve, and support abortion providers in delivering patient-centered, evidence-based care.”

• Black Women’s Maternal Health Collective is a local Iowa City-based organization whose purpose is to advocate for Black women’s maternity and reproductive care.

• You can also encourage your employer to cover travel for reproductive healthcare as a benefit.

If you want to advocate for regulations that will not be overturned or take actions personally, consider experienced advocacy organizations.

For environmental advocacy:

• Earthday.org offers specific actions you can take personally to support the environment.

• Izaak Walton League offers information, resources, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy opportunities to support the environment and outdoorsmanship.

• Sierra Club also offers information, resources, volunteer opportunities, and advocacy opportunities to support the environment and outdoorsmanship.

For workplace advocacy:

• National Council for Occupational Safety and Health advocates for workers, concentrating on the most at-risk groups such as workers whose jobs are outdoors and become more dangerous as temperatures rise.

• Common Good Iowa is a local nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to creating evidence-based policy ideas to solve Iowa’s most pressing issues, including improvements for workers.

For children’s rights:

• UNICEF advocates for children’s health, education, protection, and respect for children worldwide.

• Children’s Defense Fund advocates for strong communities for children to grow up in, including healthcare, education, civic life, family and economic stability, caring communities, and leadership opportunities for youth.

• Children’s Rights uses legal action to advocate for children, including specific focus areas of children’s health, family togetherness, government accountability, immigration rights, LGBTQ+ rights, racial justice, and youth justice.

• United Way offers many local opportunities to volunteer to directly improve the lives of young people in your own community.

Rule of law:

• League of Women Voters does so much more than voter registration. It advocates for voting rights and access to polls, educates voters and makes it easier to find voting information, and after members conduct deep studies on specific topics, it takes positions and advocates for those topics, ranging from healthcare to environmental reforms to government reforms.

• American Civil Liberties Union advocates for civil rights in multiple areas, including through litigation and advocacy work. Its areas of focus include capital punishment, criminal law reform, disability rights, freedom of speech, HIV, human rights, immigrants’ rights, juvenile justice, LGBTQ rights, national security, prisoners’ rights, privacy and technology, racial justice, religious liberty, reproductive freedom, smart justice, voting rights, and women’s rights.

And for any cause:

• Find out who represents you in our federal government

• Find out who represents you in our state government.

• Find out who is running for office in your district.

• Ask them about their positions on the issues that matter most to you. Vote and encourage others to vote accordingly.

Making progress on these issues will take time and patience. That is what the extremist right has been doing for decades. Don’t lose patience with yourself when it takes time and the going is slow. This is for the long haul.

Note: Shannon is on the board of the League of Women Voters of Iowa, and Kelcey is an active volunteer with the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, Iowa.

Background

The Des Moines Register’s issued freedom of information requests to all Iowa school districts asking that they provide lists of the books they are removing under SF 496 (PDF link), which goes into effect January 1, 2024. We have written about it a couple of times: “Iowa’s Children Deserve Better” and “Do Not Obey in Advance.”

The statute requires every school district to “establish a kindergarten through grade twelve library program that … contains only age-appropriate materials.” It defines “age-appropriate” as:

topics, messages, and teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of children and adolescents, based on developing cognitive, emotional, and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group. “Age-appropriate” does not include any material with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act as defined in section 702.17.

A “sex act” is defined in Section 702.17 (which is part of the criminal code defining types of touch that can result in criminal prosecution if they are non-consensual) as follows:

any sexual contact between two or more persons by any of the following:

1. Penetration of the penis into the vagina or anus.

2. Contact between the mouth and genitalia or mouth and anus or by contact between the genitalia of one person and the genitalia or anus of another person.

3. Contact between the finger, hand, or other body part of one person and the genitalia or anus of another person, except in the course of examination or treatment by a person licensed pursuant to chapter 148, 148C, 151, or 152.

4. Ejaculation onto the person of another.

5. By use of artificial sexual organs or substitutes therefor in contact with the genitalia or anus.

6. The touching of a person’s own genitals or anus with a finger, hand, or artificial sexual organ or other similar device at the direction of another person.

This is a very, very specific set of acts that must be described or visually depicted for library materials to fail to be “age appropriate.” (Incidentally, because they both describe these acts in order to define them, both the Iowa Code and the dictionary appear to be banned from school libraries by this statute. I have yet to see a district pull either one.) The consequences of a violation are pretty draconian, so some districts are taking a very conservative approach to interpreting the new law. Nevada, for instance, has targeted 239 books for removal. Including George Orwell’s Animal Farm, which I read recently; I can recall no references to sex, but plenty to gaslighting.

Take Action

Check out the Register’s database of banned books. Read a book or two from the list, and if it seems to you that it doesn’t meet the criteria for removal, contact the board of any school district that removed it and tell them so. Especially if it’s your own school district.