"Transgender Identities and Spiritual Warfare: Insights from Riley Gaines at Kim Reynolds' Event"
At Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds' annual fundraiser, anti-transgender activist Riley Gaines referred to the participation of transgender women in sports and the recognition of transgender identities as "spiritual warfare." Gaines, a former competitive swimmer, shared her experience competing against a transgender swimmer and criticized the NCAA's decision to award the transgender athlete a trophy. Reynolds celebrated Iowa's law banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports, while LGBTQ advocates criticized the governor's ongoing exclusion and cruelty towards transgender individuals. Iowa has passed additional laws impacting transgender kids, including prohibiting gender-affirming medical care for minors and restricting restroom and changing room use based on gender identity. Medical groups recommend providing transgender youth with gender-affirming care.