Since the 47th president took office on Jan. 20, his slew of executive orders has caused mixed emotions across the country, including members of and advocates for the LGBTQ+ community in Iowa.
Within his first couple hours of presidency, Donald Trump signed an executive order cracking down on gender in the U.S.
“As of today, it will henceforth be the official policy of the United States government that there are only two genders: male and female,” Trump said during his inauguration speech.
The order states, “sexes are not changeable and are grounded in fundamental and incontrovertible reality.”
Trump also signed orders to end federal funding for gender-affirming care for transgender youth and recently directed the Department of Education to inform schools that allowing transgender athletes to compete will put them in violation of Title IX.
Iowa LGBTQ+ advocates have expressed both fear and hope for what is to come, reminding their transgender and nonbinary friends they are not alone.
Iowa Rep. Elinor Levin, D-Iowa City, is the third openly LGBTQ+ Democrat to serve in the Iowa House of Representatives and has always been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, a stance she takes with her to the legislative session each year.
“The president doesn’t get to tell people who they are,” Levin said. “We are a nation that believes in individual determination and in personal freedoms, and this strikes me as the exact opposite.”
Levin said since she is a cisgender woman, she tries to “listen more than speak” on this topic, bringing back opinions to her fellow legislators in hopes of bringing some change to the state of Iowa.
“It’s really interesting to see how when you’re talking about an individual, people’s compassion remains in place, but when you talk about the population level, all of the sudden people can’t see the trees for the forest, and the individuals who are being harmed become this collective group that scares them,” she said.
In the 2024 legislative session, House File 2389 received backlash from LGBTQ+ Iowans as, similar to Trump’s executive order, it aimed to define “man” and “woman” in Iowa code and require changes to birth certificates.
Despite the traction from the bill, it never made it to the governor’s desk, which Levin fought hard for, oftentimes reading out personal accounts from members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Nobody can speak out better than someone who is being impacted,” Levin said.
As the first transgender lawmaker in the state of Iowa, Aime Wichtendahl, D-Hiawatha, is one of thousands of Iowans impacted by the executive order.
According to the Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles, 3.6 percent, or around 115,000, of Iowans identify as LGBTQ+.
Since beginning her time in the legislature, Wichtendahl has fought against several anti-LGBTQ+ bills, especially ones cracking down on transgender rights. Despite this, she said she remains hopeful and plans to continue to fight back.
“The fact that anyone would stand before the General Assembly and willingly strip Iowans of their constitutional and civil rights protections is so extremely beyond the pale of who we are as Iowans,” she said.
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Wichtendahl also said she will do everything in her power to ensure anti-LGBTQ+ bills do not make it to the Iowa House floor, reminding Iowans that they can play a part in that by writing their legislators, contacting members of subcommittees, and contacting the governor.
“The worst thing we can do in the face of authoritarianism is stay silent because authoritarianism relies on us believing we have no power and that our voices will not be heard,” she said. “This is still the people’s government, and you are still citizens in the state of Iowa. Do not let them say otherwise.”
Johnson County Supervisor V Fixmer-Oraiz, a member of and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, has been a strong advocate for transgender rights in Johnson County, including expressing support for the board to disperse $10,000 in funding to the Trans Mutual Aid Fund, an organization aiming to provide gender care to all transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse people.
“There are trans youth and LGBTQ people in our community that need access to healthcare, and the ability to change names, and all of the resources that we can think of when we’re looking at trans people being able to thrive and live their authentic selves,” they said.
Fixmer-Oraiz said even though it is difficult at times, they will continue to be a voice for underrepresented communities and remind members of the LGBTQ+ community how much power they hold.
“It really is remarkable how much power the LGBTQ community has to have,” they said. “The Republican Party and the Trump administration spend so much time and energy trying to erase us in history, trying to limit how we move in the world. To me, that says we are actually quite powerful.”
Max Mowitz, executive director for One Iowa, a statewide LGBTQ equality organization, has been working hard since the executive order to help keep the transgender people of Iowa seen and heard, calling on glimmers of hope that the state of Iowa saw in the past.
“When we got a gender-affirming care ban in 2023, we were able to build coalitions in neighboring states, and we’re really seeing that come into play, and that does give people hope,” he said. “You get a perspective on what this looks like for other communities and that we’re all working together.”
One Iowa is pushing more supportive events in the upcoming weeks as well, including legislative updates, mental health providers, affirming lawyers, and other community activities. All of the work is being done in order to send affirming messages to transgender and non-binary Iowans.
“I really want people to know that for as many people as there are out there harming LGBTQ folks, there are just as many people that are trying to fight this legislation, fight these executive orders, and there are people watching out for you,” Mowitz said.