Iowans flock to Capitol for heated hearing on Kim Reynolds' bill defining 'man' and 'woman'

Transgender Iowans accused lawmakers of trying to “erase” them, while others urged legislators to stand for “biological truth” at a heated hearing at the Iowa Capitol on a bill that would define “man” and “woman” in state law.

Two dozen Iowans spoke Monday night at an hourlong public hearing on the bill, House File 2389, while outside in the Capitol rotunda, hundreds of protesters with LGBTQ+ and transgender rights flags shouted and cheered throughout the hearing.

Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced the controversial bill earlier this month. The legislation would add new definitions of man and woman to state law, as well as require changes to birth certificates and government collection of data.

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The bill has drawn widespread condemnation from LGBTQ+ rights advocacy groups, who branded it as “erasure” of transgender and nonbinary people and a violation of privacy.

Republicans fast-tracked Reynolds’ proposal last week, advancing it through subcommittee and committee hearings over the course of an afternoon over the objections of Democrats and advocates.

More: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ bill defining a ‘man’ and a ‘woman,’ explained in 75 seconds

Heated testimony at hearing comes amid raucous chants outside

Reynolds has described the legislation as a “women’s bill of rights,” while opponents say it would not only harm LGBTQ Iowans but could impact other services, like aid for sexual assault and domestic abuse victims.

Denise Bubeck, deputy director of The Family Leader’s Church Ambassador Network, said she was thankful that Reynolds brought the bill forward.

Protesters gather in opposition to HF2389 as lawmakers hold a hearing for the bill that would set legal definitions for the words “man” and “women” Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Iowa State Capitol.

“It is legislation based on biological truth,” she said. “Actually, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for biology. God created woman and man. Period.”

Max Mowitz described themselves as a proud Iowan. The legislation will likely cause many LGBTQ Iowans to leave the state, Mowitz said, “but I cannot bring myself to do the same.”

“Being an Iowan is just as important to me as being trans,” Mowitz said. “This is my state, too. Every time I come to this Capitol, I am reminded of how much I love a state that does not love me back.”

The atmosphere in the room grew tense at times, with one speaker describing transgender women in women’s bathroom as engaging in “domestic terrorism” and another likening being transgender to joining a cult.

Rep. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, who ran the hearing, stopped the speakers several times throughout the night as chants of “you will not erase us” echoed through the frosted glass doors of the committee room.

“We’re going to hold off until that stops,” he said at one point. “I know when you’re in here you can probably hear fine, but as I said earlier we’re not going to have a heckler’s veto.”

Rep. Heather Hora sits duirng a hearing on HF2389 Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Iowa State Capitol.

Acting on signals from those standing just outside the committee room’s doors, the crowd began chanting while proponents of the legislation spoke inside.

When the crowd got word that Wheeler was pausing, they initially quieted down before breaking into another chant in response: “we won’t play your game, that’s not why we came.”

During the hearing, others gathered in the hallway strained to hear testimony, holding their phones to their ears with a live stream pulled up. When it came to a close, chants were amplified as the room emptied and some of those who were in the room joined the rotunda crowd.

“We’ll keep showing up,” they chanted before dispersing, also shouting expletives directed at Reynolds.

Berry Stevens, a genderfluid 13-year-old, said the law attempts to write them out of existence and would endanger LGBTQ Iowans.

“Because you seem to need a reminder, gender is how we present ourselves to the world and sex is based on anatomical genetic and chromosomal details,” Stevens said. “You can know my gender based on how I present and introduce myself, however you can’t know my sex without accessing my medical records, genetic testing or you being a creep.”

More than 100 gathered in the capitol rotunda to protest HF2389 as lawmakers hold a hearing on the bill Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Iowa State Capitol.

Josh Briggs, a father of four girls, said it was “ridiculous” that the legislation was needed. But he said opponents of the bill “forced the need for this legislation through their totalitarian tactics.”

“It does not take a biologist to understand that males and females are different, not just in sexual organs, but size, shape, respiratory systems, skin, hair, nervous systems, brain, sensory immune systems, tissues,” he said. “The science is truly clear.”

More: What you should know about the Iowa bill that legally defines ‘man,’ ‘woman’ and ‘sex’

Reynolds’ bill would define sex, female, male, woman, girl, man, boy, father and mother in state law, and require new birth certificates for transgender Iowans to include the sex assigned at birth and current identity, after the state registrar receives a notarized affidavit from a licensed physician or surgeon stating the reason for surgery and the person’s changed sex designation.

During committee, Republicans amended the bill to remove language that would require transgender Iowans to get a new marking on their driver’s license to identify their sex assigned at birth and current identity.

Several speakers took issue with a line in the bill that says “‘equal’ does not mean ‘same’ or ‘identical,'” and that “separate accommodations are not inherently unequal.”

“I am confused why we are here discussing the concept of separate but equal and how our governor believes this bill is constitutional we all know separate but equal is inherently unconstitutional,” said Annie Sarcone, director of the Des Moines Queer Youth Resource Center.

Protesters gather in opposition to HF2389 as lawmakers hold a hearing for the bill that would set legal definitions for the words “man” and “women” Monday, Feb. 12, 2024, at the Iowa State Capitol.

Geralyn Jones, a mother from Linn County, said it’s simple to define a woman’s biological makeup.

“I find it insulting that we have legislators and school board members and others in positions of authority that find it challenging to define what a female is,” she said. “That’s unacceptable. You’re supposed to be standing on truth.”

Galen Bacharier covers politics for the Register. Reach him at [email protected] or (573) 219-7440, and follow him on Twitter @galenbacharier.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowans flock to Capitol for heated hearing on Kim Reynolds’ bill defining ‘man’ and ‘woman’