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California has added Iowa to its list of “travel ban” states over Governor Kim Reynolds’ decision to sign a law exempting tax-payer funds for gender reassignment surgery.

 

In March of this year, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that taxpayers could be forced to pay for gender reassignment surgery. Two months later, Iowa’s Governor Reynolds overturned that decision in a general appropriation bill for health and human services, covering Medicaid and all other publicly funded insurance services. 

Specifically, the 109-page law has one provision that “shall not require any state or local government unit or tax-supported district to provide for sex reassignment surgery or any other cosmetic, reconstructive, or plastic surgery procedure related to transsexualism, hermaphroditism, gender identity disorder, or body dysmorphic disorder.”

According to Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett, “This narrow provision simply clarifies that Iowa’s Civil Rights Act does not require taxpayer dollars to pay for sex reassignment and other similar surgeries. This returns us to what had been the state’s position for years.”

 

Iowa now joins Texas, Alabama, South Dakota, Kentucky North Carolina, Kansas, Mississippi and Tennessee as pariah states where California employees and college students may not engage in state-funded travel.

 

California’s  Attorney General Xavier Becerra said “The Iowa Legislature has reversed course on what was settled law under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, repealing protections for those seeking gender-affirming health care. California has taken an unambiguous stand against discrimination and government actions that would enable it.”

 

Per Los Angeles Blade, The attorney general’s office notes that since 1978, California has legally recognized that gender-affirming treatment is “medically reasonable and necessary” and that “transsexual surgery is not cosmetic as defined under Medi-Cal regulations.” Additionally, insurers cannot deny coverage for gender transition care “if similar services are otherwise available to their other members, including, but not limited to, hormone therapy, hysterectomy, mastectomy, and vocal training.”

California’s travel ban law, enacted in 2016, keeps public employees out of situations “where they might feel uncomfortable.” There are exemptions for law enforcement and tax collection (taxes, of course). The law also forbids public colleges and universities from participating in events held in no-travel states such as athletics  — or debates, even! Nonetheless, teams have continued to travel to their scheduled events, funding travel through private donations – and bake sales, presumably.

You’d think California might have other, bigger problems to worry about.  It has the highest poverty rate in the nation. More illegal immigrants than 47 other states. And San Francisco alone has more drug addicts than high school students.

 

But no. California is spending important time and energy fretting what other states do with their taxpayer money.

For a tiny sliver of the population.  Bear in mind, just six-tenths of one percent of the US population identifies as transgender.

 

SMH.

 

 

Nine Line is an American Clothing Company with American made Apparel and Accessories- Veteran Owned and Operated