COURTESY

Jennifer Pitkin, Ava’s mother, also posted a photo on Facebook of the box cutter (above) that was thrown at the Spectrum group as they walked in the Linn-Mar homecoming parade. Police have now opened and investigation into the incident.

Disclaimer: The following opinion articles featured do not reflect the opinion of the Northern Iowan newspaper or staff as a whole.

Update Oct. 8, 2024: On Oct. 4, 2024, the Marion Police Department released a statement following their investigation into the allegation that a box-cutter had been thrown. The statement notes that “the Police Department has been unable to substantiate the allegation regarding the knife/box-cutter being thrown at anyone. This appears to be a case of several individuals putting together bits and pieces of information which resulted in an inaccurate portrayal of what occurred.” The full statement from the Marion Police Department can be found on their Facebook.

This piece was originally published on Oct. 2, 2024.

It’s only been 17 years since Iowa expanded their civil rights act to include members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Iowa Code Chapter 216 states, “It is illegal in Iowa to discriminate against a person because of his/her actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Yet, LGBTQIA+ members find themselves being discriminated against. Specifically, the members who identify as transgender. For years, those who are transgender have faced trials and tribulations simply to be seen and heard. The state of Iowa has actively made it more difficult for trans kids to be themselves, especially not without signing themselves up for horrendous treatment. In Iowa, many anti-transgender bills have been discussed and passed over the past few years. 

While the bills may not state directly what the attempt is, given context clues we can understand the meaning behind these house files. Iowa House File (HF) 190 states “It shall be an unfair or discriminatory practice for any employer or agent of any employer to discriminate against any employee because of the age, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, or disability of such employee by paying wages to such employee at a rate less than the rate paid to other employees who are employed within the same establishment for equal work on jobs.”

In the bill, “gender identity” is now crossed out roughly 30 times. The transgender community of Iowa had more rights two years ago than they do now. It is now fully legal for an employer to pay someone less because of their gender identity. And those representatives who put this bill into place are the ones we voted into office last November. These are full-grown adults: and they’re deciding that just because someone identifies differently than them, they deserve less. It is not just about pay, though. 

The bill outright states that “gender identity” is no longer exempt from discrimination. This puts anyone who identifies as transgender at a heightened risk. If those who choose to be closed minded to this community decide to act upon their feelings, it would prove why it’s so important to keep people protected under the law regardless of their identity. 

Data collected by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) of the University of Chicago states that “Majorities of all age groups and education backgrounds oppose LGBTQ discrimination, with those with a bachelor’s degree or higher degree most likely to oppose discrimination.”

But in Iowa, hate crimes are even targeted towards children. Linn-Mar, a school district in Linn County, had their homecoming parade on Sept. 25. At the school, a group of students created a peer support group called Spectrum for those who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. One member, Ava, recounted her experience of walking in the parade. 

A Facebook post from Jennifer Pitkin, Ava’s mother, said “One small CHILD walked up to Ava and said, ‘Get your queer ass out of here.’ Another said, ‘My pronouns are USA.’ Another yelled, ‘I’m a homophobe!’”

We’re at a point in society where it has become acceptable for people to openly harass LGBTQIA+ members for no valid reason. Years of fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights have seemingly meant nothing; as a group of harmless children can’t even walk down the street without someone screaming something profane at them. Beyond the offensive language, Pitkin also detailed that a parade-goer threw an open box cutter at the group. The facts of this situation are: there are grown adults with fully developed brains that are hurling knives and slurs at children. 

As a result, the children of these close-minded adults  think it’s acceptable to say these things to their peers, without necessarily realizing how hurtful their words truly are. The children who were part of the Spectrum group had done nothing but lift each other up in their individual journeys, and they were beat down by unaccepting homophobes. Our communities need to do some deep digging in themselves, and ask themselves if they really gain anything from being this unkind. Making LGBTQIA+ members feel uncomfortable and unwelcome on purpose is simply a poor choice to make. 

Pitkin added, “She just wanted to support her friends and family in the community. She is destroyed.  These kids give, and give, and give, and this is what they get?”

A direct result of the hateful behavior is the high suicide rates and risks for the LGBTQIA+ community. Recent studies have shown that suicide rates are rising, especially as anti-transgender laws have come into play. In a peer-reviewed article from Human Nature Behavior, studies show that transgender 13-17 year olds are now 72% more likely to attempt suicide. Children and young adults who identify as transgender are facing a wall of hate that only seems to keep building rather than fall. The transgender community is often met with vile slurs and hate crimes. 

Many of the anti-trans arguments revolve around religion. Some believe that it is against the word of God, and that the transgender community is full of sinners. Yet true Christians are supposed to accept and love everyone regardless of who they are. To be rude or hateful to someone for who they want to be is indeed anti-Christian. To use religion against LGBTQIA+ groups is not only insensitive, but it’s an excuse for people to say offensive and awful things about people they’ve never even met. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, he did the work of someone lower than him. 

This cannot be an argument, though. There are people who are born with ovotesticular disorder, a rare disorder in which an infant is born with the internal reproductive organs of both sexes. This means that they cannot be assigned a sex at birth, which can lead to a life of questioning identity. Gender dysmorphia exists alongside ovotesticular disorder. This is where a person feels misaligned with their sex assigned at birth. This can cause those impacted to feel depressed, anxious and even suicidal.

Regardless of how someone may feel about the LGBTQIA+ community, they are humans who deserve respect. It’s about time we make a change in the way we treat one another, especially those who have influence over next generations. Continuing to fuel the hateful fire has had a severe impact on every member of the LGBTQIA+ community.