A Letter to the Iowa House Subcommittee on HSB242

Jesus taught his disciples to love God and to love their neighbors, In both the gospel of Matthew (7:12) and the gospel of Luke (6:31), Jesus told them “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” In the gospel of Matthew (25:40), Jesus said “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”

HSB242 legalizes discrimination against transgender Iowans. Legal discrimination against any class of people is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ and contrary to the promise of our great country. Every Iowan should have equal access to housing, employment, credit, education, and public accommodation.

Transgender Iowans are members of my congregations and members of communities across the state of Iowa. They are your neighbors and my neighbors. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. It is unthinkable to remove civil rights and legal protections from people that we love. 

Read the entire letter HERE.