There is a bill that is currently stuck in the Iowa Senate Local Government Committee. This bill is called the “Counseling Choice” bill. It prohibits cities and counties from regulating certain behavioral health and human services that are subject to licensing or certification requirements by a board, including behavioral health, psychology and social work.
Democrats in some cities and counties have worked to ban what they call “conversion therapy.” What they really mean is counseling, or talk therapy. And only in one particular instance.
The bans that these liberals pursue blocks any minor from receiving counseling related to their gender identity or sexual orientation UNLESS the counselor AFFIRMS the confused thoughts and feelings.
So, the same people who want to tell your preschool son that he can choose to be a boy, a girl, both, neither or something else, want it to be illegal for you to take him to a counselor for help after that confusion takes root and he tells you he is confused regarding his sexual orientation or gender identity.
The bill passed through subcommittee, but has hit a roadblock in the form of Republicans in full committee.
While the bill may not be perfect, or “good enough” for legislators to support it, they all have the ability to offer an amendment to make it better.
And while efforts to censor counselors may backfire from time to time — see Waterloo — the state should not knowingly allow cities and counties to set a policy that has lost in court. We should try to avoid lawsuits, not invite them.
Besides that, why are Iowa lawmakers expecting citizens from these extremely liberal areas to file a lawsuit against such a policy when the wrath of the Rainbow Jihad will be released on them, their children and their business or place of work?
Keep in mind, it is Iowa lawmakers who are funding the schools that are telling kids they can choose to be a boy, a girl, both, neither or something else. So, if the Iowa lawmakers choose to continue funding the confusion, they should at least be willing to ensure when the confusion takes hold of a young mind help can be sought — and received.
So, who are the Republicans holding up this legislation? Well, they sit on the Senate Local Government Committee. Committee chair — Sen. Jesse Green — can only lose one Republican vote. And seeing as the bill didn’t advance this week when eligible, he may not have the votes as it currently sits. Therefore, you should reach out to the committee and let them know you support Senate File 2037. Here is who YOU need to contact:
Sen. Jesse Green — [email protected] (advanced through subcommittee)
Sen. Mark Lofgren — [email protected]
Sen. Dawn Driscoll — [email protected]
Sen. Dennis Guth — [email protected] (advanced through subcommittee)
Sen. Mike Klimesh — [email protected]
Sen. Tom Shipley — [email protected]
Sen. Scott Webster — [email protected]
Sen. Cherielynn Westrich — [email protected]
This is simple — it is about parental rights. It is about freedom to choose the counseling right for a family. With the legislators continuing to fund the schools that are confusing kids as it relates to sexual orientation and gender identity, the least the legislators can do is make sure counseling services are available for ALL Iowa families. And again, if the bill isn’t “good enough,” then they should start filing their amendments to make it better.
During the subcommittee on this bill, Democrat Sen. Herman Quirmbach said he wasn’t interested in hearing about anecdotes of individuals who were able to “change” their sexual orientation or gender identity. He said that anecdotes aren’t data.
Anecdotes may not be data, but they are people. And people are who Iowa lawmakers are elected to serve. They aren’t elected to serve data. They aren’t elected to serve peer-reviewed studies. They’re elected to serve people.
These “anecdotes,” as Quirmbach calls them, have gone on to become husbands and fathers. They’ve created offspring — other human beings who would not exist but for the change.
Those are not “anecdotes,” they are people.
There’s always a reason not to do the right thing. Let’s hope these eight Senate Republicans do what is right and advance this bill.
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