Iowa, Kentucky pass bills impacting transgender youth: Media Miss

Mar 17, 2023

Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Ben Burke (Producer/Editor)

Iowa and Kentucky became the latest states to pass bills impacting transgender youth on Thursday, Mar. 16. The bills have different focuses, but both are expected to become law.

The Iowa bill would ban transgender students from using a public school restroom that aligns with their gender identity. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) is expected to sign it. Similar so-called “bathroom bills” have been passed and/or signed into law in Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma and Tennessee.

The Kentucky bill would ban gender affirming care for transgender kids. Similar bills have been signed into law in Mississippi, South Dakota and Utah.

Unlike Iowa, Kentucky has a Democratic governor who is expected to veto the trans youth bill. However, state lawmakers passed the bill ahead of a Thursday deadline that allows them to override the veto.

Passage came following intense debate in the state legislature. A slimmed-down version of the bill had stalled in the Senate earlier this week.

Straight Arrow News aims to identify when stories are being underreported on either side of the political aisle and media landscape. This story is a Media Miss for right-leaning outlets, with most sources reporting it being either left-leaning or center-oriented outlets, according to Ground.News.

Tags: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Kentucky, Kim Reynolds, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Transgender, Utah

Iowa and Kentucky became the latest two states to pass bills affecting trans youth in the state.
The bills have different focuses — but are both expected to make it to law.
The Iowa bill would ban transgender students from using a public school restroom that aligns with their gender identity.
Governor Kim Reynolds is expected to sign it.
Similar so-called “bathroom bills” have been passed and-or signed into law in Arkansas — Alabama — Oklahoma and Tennessee.
Meanwhile — the Kentucky bill would ban gender affirming care for transgender kids.
Similar bills have been signed into law in Mississippi — South Dakota and Utah.
Unlike Iowa — Kentucky has a Democratic governor — who is expected to veto the bill.
However — state lawmakers passed the bill ahead of a Thursday deadline that allows them to override the veto.
Passage came following intense debate in the state legislature.
A slimmed-down version of the bill had stalled in the Senate earlier this week.
Part of our mission at Straight Arrow News is to identify when stories are being underreported on either side of the aisle.
This is a media miss story for the right — with most sources reporting it being either on the left or in the center.